


Not that Bad...

by GayAndNaps



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Rival AU, Slow Burn, rival school au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2020-01-24 15:25:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 31,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18574249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayAndNaps/pseuds/GayAndNaps
Summary: The Salvatore School hosts the annual football competition against another Supernatural School, the Mikealson School. None of the students are very pleased by that announcement, especially not Penelope, Hope, Lizzie and Josie, who share some history together (Hizzie) or simply cannot stand each other (Posie). How will the whole sharing a school go for them ?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ! I'm back with another story (which I plan to actually finish this time), I hope you like it :)

Lizzie and Josie were woken up by a rather energetic Alaric entering their room. None of them understood anything that was happening except for the fact that it was not even 7 a.m yet on a Sunday.

« Girls ! I have good news ! I spoke with Freya Mikealson, the headmaster of the Mikealson school in New Orleans and we agreed that we would host our annual football game this year ! », he announced cheerfully.

« What ?! », the girls exclaimed simultaneously.

« Dad you can't do that ! Those people are awful, they're real bitches to us ! I'd rather be turn to stone again than having to share the school with that Mikealson girl. », Lizzie dramatically stated.

« Elizabeth... language. And you two haven't seen eachother in two years since last year's game got cancelled, I'm sure she's changed. I know you have. Be the bigger person sweetheart. »

« But- »

« They are coming wether you like it or not, so prepare yourself if you have to, you have a week. End of the discussion. », before the blonde could protest some more, Alaric left the room and closed the door behind him.

Lizzie got up from her bed and went to sat on her twin's bed who had not said a word about the news yet, not that she could have anyway.

« Jo ! We have to do something, call an emergency meeting for the council or I don't know ! But we can't just let it happen. »

« I don't think I can do that Lizzie... Dad looked pretty serious about the whole thing and you know he likes to have Miss Mikealson here, she gives him good advice. »

« But we can't just let them invide us once again. For a stupid game that is completely pointless since everyone cheats and uses their powers. »

« I know Lizzie but try to make an effort... For dad. », Josie tried to calm her sister.

« Alright... But if one of them even breathes near me I swear I will fight them. »

« No you won't Liz, that's the whole point of making an effort. », the brunette tried to remind her.

« Right... »

The real reason behind that outburst was the fact that at the last event of the kind, Lizzie and Hope may or may not have made out before the brunette left without even saying goodbye. After that day, the taller girl had sworn that she would never make the mistake of trusting 'the enemy' again. The thruth was, Hope had been one of her first crushes and being ghosted by her had been really hard.

The news was not much of a success in New Orleans either, as soon as Penelope Park found out, she ran to her bestfriend's room. This could not happen. She burst in her room and was met with a confused look.

« This is bad ! », was all she managed to say when she entered.

« Well hello to you to P, what exactly is so bad that you didn't even take the time to knock ? », Hope asked.

« Oh please, as if I needed to knock... »

« Who knows ? I could have been with someone or something ?! »

« Oh like Landon you mean ? »

« Shut up ! You know we split up months ago ! », she threw a pillow at her.

« The poor boy had his heart crushed, I remember now. », she said with a smirk. Landon and Hope had been in a short relationship, but much to the boy's dispair, the tribrid eventually broke up with him as she preferred to be 'friends'.

« Anyway, what was 'really bad' ! », the brunette quoted with her hands what her bestfriend had told her earlier.

« I heard your aunt talk to Mr. Saltzman from Mystic Falls over the phone... We are going there at the end of the week for that 'friendly' competition bullshit. »

« Oh... This is REALLY bad. »

« I know...I thought we were finally over with that. »

« I'm gonna talk to her, maybe I can convince her ! It will be best for everyone if we just stay here. »

« I already tried, she said we were going and arguing was useless. », Penelope said with a defeated tone.

« We better prepare ourselves then... »

« I suppose so. », Penelope finally said before sitting on her friend's bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a sort of contextualisation chapter, the main ship will be Posie in this story even though it may seem otherwise here :)
> 
> Hope, Penelope, Landon and Jed (who is Penelope's cousin here) are in the Mikealson School.  
> Lizzie, Josie, MG, Kaleb and Rafael are in the Salvatore School.
> 
> As always feedback is really appreciated !


	2. Chapter 2

Lizzie and Josie met their friends in the main hall, the dreaded hour was coming, they needed to stick together in order to 'face adversity' according to the blonde. Since MG, Kaleb and Rafael were new this year, they did not know what to expect but they had heard the twins and most students around the school complaining about the guests they were about to have.

Alaric gave them one last speech about friendship and how they 'were all dealing with the same stuff' so their was no need to be rude. Of course Lizzie scoffed the whole time, she barely listened to him, Josie barely did either, she was too busy calming her sister down.

Just when he was done, they heard a bus stopping so they had to step outside in order to greet them properly. Everyone seemed tense but most of them tried to put on a fake smile, well except for the twins.

The doors of the bus opened and the students stepped out, most of them seemed new and Rafael even recognized his brother from one of his former foster houses so he immidiately joined him. So far, everything seemed to go well, too well... Until the two last passengers of the bus came out and destroyed the little hope the twins were having, here they were, Hope Mikealson and Penelope Park, the infamous duo from the Mikealson School.

The dark haired girl's eyes met Josie's and before she could even escape those green eyes, the girl winked at her and went away with a smirk when she saw the flustered look on the brunette's face.

« Looks like Satan is already up to no good, look at that grin... », Lizzie whispered in her twin's hear, unaware of the glances they had just exchanged.

The guests were escorted to the main hall where Alaric was able to give a proper welcome speech to the newcomers.

« ...And now I will let my students escort you to your rooms, I made a board with who will escort who so find your partners and go ! I hope you will give our guests a proper tour of the school. », he said, throwing a look at his daughters.

« Wait a second... That can't be right, he never told us we would have to do that ! », Josie complained.

They waited until a few people left and when they approached the board to see who they will have to give a tour to, they stumbled upon Hope and Penelope.

« Looks like you're stuck with us. », the raven haired girl announced.

« What are you talking about ? », Josie asked a little confused.

« You're giving us the tour, no need to go check, we already did... Multiple times. »

They saw the girls' faces drop. Penelope could not help but to find the situation amusing, of course she was aware of the history between her bestfriend and the blonde, she was also aware of the brunette's hatred towards her, which was, as she used to say, totally uncalled for. All she knew was that she was cute and messing with her would be the only thing remotely amusing the next couple of week.

« Great... »

« Do you have the number of your room ? », Josie asked as politely as she could.

Hope gave it to her and it did not take long for the twins to realize where that room was, it was the one next to theirs.

They exchanged a look of distress before heading to the said room. The walk there was spent quietly, none of the girls wanted to speak and they were not in the mood for small talks.

When they arrived, Josie gave them their keys and informed them about lunch hours and classes, she also gave them their schedules and soon enough, they were ready to leave.

« I thought you were supposed to give us a tour of the school ? », Penelope tried with a big smile on her face.

« You know the school. Unfortunately for us, it's not your first time here, remember ? », Josie responded coldly.

« Ouch... I was really eager for that tour. », she pouted.

Josie only rolled her eyes and left with her sister by her side. She knew how painful it was for her to be near Hope. The girl broke her heart and the brunette could not forgive that, she was the one who had to pick up the pieces after she left the last time. Although, the main reason she was eager to leave, she would never admit it out loud of course, was Hope's obnoxious friend who seemed to take great pleasure in getting on her nerves. Those next weeks would be long, she thought, but she could count on her sister and her friends, and avoiding them should not be too hard, it was a big building after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Josie... She has a big storm coming...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make this chapter longer :)

" Ugh ! I can't stand them and their stupid red ties and their smug looks ! ", Lizzie complained as soon as they entered their room.

" Yeah I know... I can't stand that Penelope girl, who does she think she is ?! "

" And have you noticed how Hope almost didn't say anything ! The nerve... No, actually you know what ? It's what's best because I won't allow her to talk to me... Even look at me is too much ! "

Josie's face softened, it hurted her to see that her sister still felt vulnerable when it came to Hope, she would never admit it, but she knew her sister and she was usually not the kind to avoid bitchy banters when she had the chance. She was the best with come backs. But with Hope it was different, she had let Hope in, even if it was just for a short moment, and she had ended up alone and hurt without any explanations, she had felt betrayed.

" Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't. We should head to the cafeteria though, or we'll be late for dinner and I really don't feel like cooking again since the last time we tried... ", Josie pointed out.

" You should go but I'm not really hungry... I think I'll take the opportunity to go shower since the bathroom won't be busy. "

" Alright... I'll bring you some snack later. ", Josie finally said before leaving the room. She braced herself in case she would run into some unwanted people.

She managed to do so successfully since the hallways were empty at this hour and she joined Kaleb, MG, Rafael and his friend at their usual table. 

" I don't think we officially met, I'm Landon, Rafael brother ! ", the boy introduced himself.

" Nice to meet you Landon, I'm Josie. "

" So were is Lizzie ? ", MG asked.

" She didn't feel too well and I don't think she was in the mood to deal with the guests ", she then looked apologetically at Landon, " No offence... We just have issues with some of you. "

" None taken, people there can be a lot but they're good persons. "

" Uh, yeah I'm sure. ", Josie awkwardly said before changing the subject.

The rest of the dinner was spent laughing and chatting about random stuff, Landon was actually really sweet and the brunette and him really hit it off. However when everyone was done and about to leave, Alaric decided to inform them that the next days would be dedicated to sharing with the Mikealson school and improving the friendship they were creating.

'I really need to have a conversation with dad...', Josie thought. He did not even specified what they would have to do, but she knew her dad, avoiding Hope and her evil friend would be harder than she imagined. 

Speaking of the devil, she almost bumped into the raven haired girl on her way to her room.

" Wow, easy there ! I know I've missed you but I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to bond tomorrow " , Penelope said, she did not expect to meet the brunette and her two space buns when she left her room, but since she was there, she could not miss an occasion to annoy her.

Josie only rolled her eyes and headed back to her room. She was too tired to deal with her again, the recent news had already been hard enough to handle and arguing would be pointless. She came back to an empty room, she figured Lizzie was still in the bathroom so she put the snack she had brought her on her desk and grabbed a book while she waited for her sister. The fact that she would have to be the one announcing her the news was making her anxious, it was like everything was made to bring the two schools together... Well, she knew it was not fate, more like Alaric being really excited about another supernatural school.

While Josie was downstairs, Lizzie, as she said she would, headed to the bathroom. The bathrooms at the school were each shared between a few rooms, and since Hope and Penelope had the room next hers, they would have to share a bathroom. The blonde knew that and since she did not want an encounter with any of them, she thought it would be wiser to go when no one was there.

She arrived in the empty bathroom, took her clothes off and began her shower. She stepped out when she was done, wrapped a towel around her and was about to brush her teeths when someone entered the room.

" Oh shit sorry ! I thought there would be no one at this hour, I'll come back later ! ", Hope was clearly not expecting to run into her ex flirt.

" It's alright I'm almsot done, I just need to finish this and then I'll leave. ", the blonde tried to act as detached as possible.

" I'm sorry. ", the tribrid blurted out, " for everything, for leaving like I did- ".

Lizzie spat in the sink and looked at the girl in the mirror, " It's fine, Hope. ", she sounded colder than ever and with that, she took her stuff, and left without giving Hope a second look. It was not fine. It was far from fine and they both knew it. 

Lizzie had not expected to run into her and she had even less expected her to actually appologize. She had thought about her doing it so many times, but she did not think it would happen. Not so fast at least. She could not believe the girl, she had barely acknowleged her when they saw each other earlier and now, she just tried to spit everything out ? Just like that ?

The blonde girl ran back to her room where her sister was already waiting for her, and, as soon as their eyes met, Josie knew something was not right and in an instant, she got crushed in a hug by her sister who started sobbing in her arms.

They spent the rest of the evening cuddling in their room, Josie comforted her sister until they both fell asleep in her bed. She hated seeing her like that, Lizzie was usually a fighter, she did not take anyone's crap but somehow, for as long as Josie could remember, Hope had always been the exception. She was able break the taller girl's walls like no one else could and that terrified her. And since the only time Lizzie actually gave in she ended up left behind, her walls had grown even taller. However, one interraction with the brunette had been enough to break her down. 

This cohabitation thing would be harder than expected, for all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thanks for reading !


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, all the girls woke up in the same mood than the day before. Penelope and Hope had also talked about the interraction in the bathroom. She wanted to appologize so badly to the girl but she knew blurting some excuses after kind of emboushing her in a bathroom was not the way. She just wanted her to know how sorry she was. The truth was, she got scared two years ago, she had never been with a girl before and she was not ready to date one at the time. The problem was not even the fact that Lizzie was a girl, it was the fact that she was actually interested in Hope, knowing her past, her family history and her tendency to see people she loves dying. She was scared of losing her so she made the choice to never actually have her, it was simpler that way.

However, she had spent the last two years regretting that mistake, but she knew it was too late. She had been an idiot and now she had to deal with the consequences.

" So what do you think the program is today ? ", Penelope asked Hope from her bed.

" Not making the situation with Lizzie worse. "

" I was talking about the real program... But don't worry I got you're back, plus I highly doubt that she is actually seeking contact with you so that should be easy. "

" Gee, thanks P ", Hope sighed.

" Come on, you know what I mean ! "

" Whatever... Come on we should go get breakfast or we'll be late. ", the brunette said while getting up from her bed, she was quickly followed by the dar haired girl.

They arrived just in time and found an empty table. They were soon joined by their friend Landon, with whom Hope had a brief history. They greeted eachother and discussed the activities of the day, none of them actually had an idea of what it could be. 

The twins sat not too far from their table with their friends, Josie could not help but notice Landon with the girls she despised, so she asked Rafael if he knew about it.

" Yeah Hope is his ex and I suppose the other one is Penelope, he has talked about her a few time, they're all friends. ", he explained briefly while eating his cereals. Lizzie nearly chocked on her coffee when she heard that the boy was the brunette's ex, everyone noticed it, of course, and they gave her strange looks.

" Are you okay ? ", MG asked concerned.

" Hum, yeah... I'm fine, I just... The coffee is too hot. ", she stuttered. 

Josie looked at her worryingly but did not say anything, she knew her sister did not want the boys to know about her and Hope.

" If I knew he was in direct contact with the enemy... Too bad, I actually liked him. ", Josie said before anyone could be suspicious of her sister.

" Have you ever tried to actually talk to them ? I'm sure they're not that bad. ", Rafael tried.

" We did and they are, trust me. "

He knew he was wasting his time so he did not bother to argue. Soon after that, it was time to go. Apparently their activity today involved a tour of the town or that was what they understood at least.

Since there were too many people, the schools took different buses much to the twins' relief. They sat in the back of the bus and they spent the ride trying to figure out why Landon, who seemed like a nice guy, would willingly hang out with the two girls. Lizzie was also starting to wonder if that was why Hope ghosted her after their thing, maybe she was not into girls at all, maybe she had used her as a test or maybe she was already into Landon at the time. But she decided that whatever her reasons were, she did not have the right to completely shut her off like she did.

Once they arrived in town, everyone was gathered together and Alaric spoke.

" Today, my students will give you, the Mikealson School's student, a tour of the town. Only, it won't be your usual tour, we will put you into teams and the first team who fill this quizz wins. "

" What is there to win exactly ? ", asked a girl in the crowd.

" That is a surprise... "

" That means her hasn't plan that part yet. ", Lizzie whispered in Josie's hear.

They all had to pick a number and find the person from the other school with the same number. Lizzie froze when she heard Hope call for her number and immediately got MG to switch with her, she did not give him much of a choice, the poor boy's sheet was snatched from his hand.

On the other hand, Josie did not get so lucky, the girl picked the same number as Penelope. She tried to ask Rafael but he was paired with Landon so there was no way he would agree, she tried to ask Kaleb but he seemed to hit it of very well with a guy named Jed so he refused. When she approached another student to ask, she was met with her father who told her that she could not change her number with someone.

Josie was stuck...

People were gathering into teams and soon, Penelope would come to her. That was the last thing she wanted but apparently, the odds were against her today. She envied her sister who had switched before their father could see her even though she was still relieved it happened because otherwise she was conviced that either Hope or Lizzie would have ended up dead or at least mildly injured by the end of the day. Probably Hope, judging by the talk they had the day before and how she tried to apologize out of the blue.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice she recognized way too well, " Hey Jojo, looks like we're a team now... "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait I have exams coming up so the updates won't be as fast as usual and also I know the chapters are short, sorry for that too, but they have to be otherwise the updates will be even less frequent...
> 
> I hope you understand and thanks again for reading the story :)


	5. Chapter 5

" Jojo ? ", Josie asked Penelope with a frown.

" I figured if we're gonna spend so much time together I should give you a nickname. ", she told her with a large grin.

Josie looked a last time around just to make sure she did not have any way out. She did not, she was stuck with the cocky girl.

" Don't get too comfortable, it's just for a day. ", she said coldly.

" By the end of the day you'll be sad to leave me, Jojo, I can feel it. "

" I highly doubt that... Anyway, we should get going. I don't want to make this game last longer than it should. ", she started walking toward the first location, the church. Penelope had to run a little to catch up with her, the brunette walked fast, she did not want to waste any time and it showed.

After a while, they arrived at the church and Josie looked at the first question, " This church was build a century ago, but before that, there was another church who burned. How many people died in that fire ? ", she read out loud.

" Easy, 27. "

" Nope, it's a trick question... We've seen that in history last semester. No one actually died, there was 26 vampires under the church but they were still alive, everyone thought there was 27 but Katherine Pierce escaped before. ", Josie explained.

" Damn Jojo, so smart... ", Penelope said, genuinely impressed with the girl.

" Whatever ", she rolled her eyes, " Come on, we should get going. "

On their way to the next spot, Penelope, who had trouble catching up with the brunette managed to ask her, " Why don't we look up the answers on our phones though ? "

" Because my dad is doing the best he can so I will play by the rules. ", she said while keeping walking.

" We don't have to rush things, he clearly mentionned that this whole thing was to discover the city so we could stop to drink something and you could tell me about it ? "

Josie stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face the dark haired girl, " Or you could do that on your own while I go look for the rest of the answers ? "

" So now you wanna ditch me ? ", she pouted.

" Look, you do whatever you want but I am going. ", Josie tried to walk away but she felt the other girl grabbing her arm. When she faced her again, she noticed a change in her eyes. A more serious look, it was probably the first time that Josie witnessed it.

" You know, I never understood why you always seem so mad at me ? We never even had a real conversation... "

The brunette knew she had a point, but she could not possibly feel bad for that ? It was not like the girl ever did anything to deserve kindness from her either, and she could not forget who her best friend was. 

" I guess I just don't like your attitude, how you never seem to take anything seriously. And let's not forget the fact that every time we see eachother it's like you just HAVE to get on my nerves. "

Penelope switched back to her usual self in a matter of seconds and smirked at the brunette, " But is it working ? "

Josie watched her closely, thought for a little while and came to the conclusion that she would not give her that satisfaction, " Don't flatter yourself, I would need to actually care to be annoyed. "

Ouch. The smaller girl did not see that coming. Those words somehow hurt more than they should have, it's not like she cared either. She did not know what was that feeling she just felt, she had never felt that kind of thing before. She quickly shook it off, however she was truly intrigued as to what it meant. She was also impressed by that come back who genuinely surprised her.

The brunette started to walk again, and as she did, she called the girl, "So you're coming or not ? "

Penelope raised an eyebrow, she did not know that the girl could be so confident but she liked that side of her, so, without another word she followed her. She was eager to meet the snarkier and definetely feistier side of her team mate.

They managed to finish the game around 1p.m and, to their surprise, they were not the first ones to the final spot, Lizzie and her team mate seemed to have arrived shortly before them. 

As soon as the blonde spotted her sister, she came rushing toward her. Penelope took that as a signal to live so she joined the girl from her school, but it was not without feeling a little disappointed to leave Josie's side. She knew that they were going back at being each other's Nemesis with the end of the game. She actually had fun during it, and she was sure that the brunette had too but she also knew that it was not enough to put an end to their silly rivalry.

At that moment she could not help but remember what she had said to the girl earlier, how ironic was it that she was the one that actually seemed bothered by leaving her ? She would not go as far as saying she was sad, Penelope Park could not be sad over a girl from the Salvatore School, without mentionning that it was Josie Saltzman, of all people.

" I can't believe you both came back alive ! She hasn't even one burn mark ! ", Lizzie whispered to her twin once they were at a safe distance.

" I guess it wasn't that bad, I didn't fall into her game and well, when she stops to be annoying I guess she can be funny. "

" Who are you and what have you done with my sister ? "

Josie chuckled a little, she could not believe she had just said that either. " Whatever... How come you guys arrived so early ? "

" We didn't actually go to the places, we just googled the infos. "

" You know Freya spelled our phones, right ? I'm pretty sure they'll know if you used yours. "

" I was almost certain dad told us that as a joke to be honest... They wouldn't actually do that, right ? ", Lizzie tried to hide the fact that she was getting worried.

Josie only shrugged as an answer. She did not know Freya enough to pronounce herself and, well, her dad could definetely do something like that.

The other pairs arrived shortly after and Alaric announced to everyone that the prize would be reaveled at dinner. They had free time for the rest of the day so everyone went their separate ways, Lizzie and Josie, Penelope and Hope, and tried to avoid each other, as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp... Penelope and Josie finally spoke and it did not go that terribly, that's good, right ? (For now at least... DUN-DUN-DUUUN)
> 
> (That was me trying to sound mysterious... It's late, don't judge)


	6. Chapter 6

The best friends ended up at the Mystic Grill to catch up over a drink, all this search had exhausted them so they decided that they deserved a break. At least that is what Hope had came up with in order to sit with her friend, she knew it was the easiest way to get her to talk. She had noticed a change in her attitude toward Josie since the game and she was dying to know what happened, and why Penelope was yet to make a snarky comment on the brunette, after all it had already been an hour since they parted ways.

" So... How did it go with little miss judgy ? ", she asked. She did not know Josie as well as she knew Lizzie, for obvious reasons, but she knew that she always judged their every moves. Hope was not oblivious, she was aware that it had something to do with the fact that she had hurted her sister but it did not change the fact that she did not like that behavior, especially since it seemed to be mostly directed toward her best friend who had nothing to do with that.

" Josie you mean ? It went well actually. ", Penelope casually answered.

" Just 'well' ? "

" Well yeah, we came in second but I'm pretty sure Lizzie cheated and that the adults know so... "

Hope stared at the girl in disblief, " You know that's not what I was asking about right ? Did she bored you so much that she actually managed to make you enjoy a school related thing ? "

" Well... If you must know, Josie's actually quite fun to be around, she actually made me speechless because of her come backs once or twice. Not that I like to admit it. ", she chuckled while she thought of her day, the girl had really surptised her.

" Would you look at that... The queen of Broken Hearts is going soft. "

" Don't call me that, you know I hate it ! ", Penelope complained while slapping her friend's arm. She really did hate that nickname, unfortunately it had spread around school thanks to her reputation. Indeed, the dark haired girl was known for breaking girl's hearts, boys' too for that matter. She did not break them intentionally though, she just struggled to find someone that really interested her so she had to end a lot of flings or simply refuse dates. The fact that she was yet to find someone whom she really loved did not mean that she did not like to have fun from time to time though, some people might have gotten the wrong impression from it and that could also be a reason for the nickname that she hated so much. " And I never said I was going soft on her, I still don't like her. I just said that MAYBE she was not that terrible. "

" I know sorry, and don't worry I was just teasing you. I know she can be fun, at least she used to... I haven't seen that side of her in ages though. ", Hope sighed remembering how she used to go along with her just fine as a child, and she used to be friend with Lizzie too, but she had to ruin everything on that stupid night.

" Maybe it started when someone broke someone's heart and declared a war in the process... ", Penelope said but she quickly realized what she had done. She knew her friend did not want to and that she had suffered a lot from it. " Shit Hope I'm sorry, that was stupid I- "

" No. It's fine and you're right, it was my fault and I still can't forgive myself for the stupidest thing I've ever done. "

" Come on, I already told you there is nothing to forgive ! You were young and scared, your parents had just died and you didn't want to get hurt even more. "

" But it doesn't mean I had the right to hurt her like that P ! ", she raised her voice while her eyes wattered.

" Hope... There is nothing you can do about it now. The only thing you can actually do is move on, forgive yourself, apologize to her and hopefully be forgiven. If you're not, then try harder, make her see that you've changed and that you regret what happened. If she's too blind to see the amazing person that you are then she's not worth it. "

Those words managed to calm the tribrid down, she knew her friend was right, she knew she needed to let go of the past but living in it seemed to be a family thing. She also tried not to argue the last part of what her friend had said, because Lizzie worthed it, she was one of the rare things in this world that actually mattered to Hope.

" You really are soft Park... ", a tear rolled down her cheek while she chuckled a bit, they went back to teasing each other without mentionning the blonde girl or her twin after that. Penelope knew staying at that school was already hard enough for her best friend and talking about them was only a reminder of tougher times.

Time passed fast after that and soon enough, they had to head back to their bus. Before going in, green eyes met brown ones, and Penelope could have sworn she saw a smile coming from Josie. Maybe there was still hope for a friendship between them after all ? At least that's what the dark haired girl thought as she ignored the same strange feeling in her heart as she had felt earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's more of a filler chapter to know what Hope and Penelope actually think of the whole thing, and also to know a little more about them. I hope you liked it :)


	7. Chapter 7

Around 7p.m, everyone was gathered at dinner and Alaric decided to speak in order to announce who won the prize and what it actually was.

" Attention everyone ! I'm going to announce who are the winners from today... ", he spoke rather loudly to be heard by everyone.

Lizzie, who was sitting with her sister was starting to wonder if cheating had been a good idea, she still doubted that her dad would go as far as checking to make sure they did not cheat on their phones but she could not be sure.

" Before that, I wanted to remind everyone that we are a school for the supernatural, so of course we know how to make sure that no one is cheating. ", he looked directly into his daughter's eyes, who watched him with an apologetic look. " That being said, the winners are : Josie Saltzman and Penelope Park ! ".

Everyone applauded while Josie looked a little shocked. Who would have thought that in less than a day she would manage to more or less make peace with the girl and win something with her, as a team ? Before searching for her in the crowd, she shot a look at her sister who looked a little embarassed by the fact that she had been caught. 

Her eyes met with the girl again and she saw an honest smile forming on her lips, not the usual smirk that she had been so used to.

" Congratulations to them, you can come take your prize in my office after dinner. "

" Welp... Looks like they knew I went on my phone after all... ", she started, " At least you have a reward for being forced to spend the day with Satan. "

" I told you it wasn't that bad ! ", Josie tried to sound convincing but apparently her sister was not having it.

" I'm still considering the fact that you might be under a spell or something... What happened to 'hating her and her bad girl attitude' ? ", Lizzie had a point, she had heard her sister complain about the dark haired girl for years and now, after only a day, everything seemed to be fine.

" Shut up ! ", the other girl said playfully, " I didn't say it was amazing or anything, I'm just saying that it could have been worse that's all. "

" Mhmm, Sure Jan. "

They were interrupted by Rafael and MG, much to Josie's happiness since she was tired of her sister and her remarks about Penelope. She had had a good time with her, and she was not that bad, she could even go as far as saying she might be nicer than she originally thought but that was all, there was no need to make a big thing out of this.

" So... I'm organizing a party at the old mill with the pack on friday night, and you have to come ! ", Rafael said enthusiastically.

" We'll be there, you know I can't miss a party and after days of cohabitation, alcohol will be necessary I think, they already got to Jo. "

" Yeah we'll be there, and don't mind my sister 's dramatic ass she's just upset she didn't win... ", the brunette said before getting up from her sit.

" Wait where are you going ? "

" I have a prize to get, y'a know, since I beat you ! ", she smirked at her sister.

" Oh my God ! This is even worse than I thought ! You're turning into a demon... Satan really got you ! ", Josie heard her sister from behind her back as she was leaving. She chuckled a bit because as annoying as her sister may seem, she actually was really funny and a great sister. She could not be mad at her even if she tried. And she knew that last part was mostly humor as she was the one who always tried to get Josie to stand up for herself.

On her way there, she was joined by a joyful Penelope, " So, Jojo, looks like we make a good team after all. "

" Looks like we do... I guess it was all right. "

" One day you'll admit it was more than alright... But I guess you're still too shaken off after spending such an amazing day. ", she earned a slight grin from the girl, and somehow, she was pleased with it, genuinely happy.

" Whatever... We're here. ", she said as they stood in front of the door. She knocked and her father told them to come inside.

" Hello girls ! I was just telling Freya how impressed I was, I didn't think anyone would make it this fast, congratulations ! "

" Thanks dad. "

" Thank you Mr. Saltzman, but your daughter did most of the job. "

" I don't know about that, but I'm still incredibly proud of her. ", he said while smiling at his daughter, "Anyway... I guess you don't want to spend your evening there so here, two tickets to the fair. You just have to give them that and you'll be able to do whatever you want for the evening. "

Both girls were very pleased with the prize, they thanked him and left the office.

" So... I guess we should go together ? You know, since we're the winners, it's only fair. ", Penelope tried.

" I guess... What do you think of Sunday night ? I'm pretty busy before that... Oh ! And we should ask everyone to come as well, y'a know since the boys seemed to go along well. I don't know if my sister will come though. "

The dark haired girl did not expect that. She did not want it to be a date or anything, she just did not think everyone would come. After the day they had, she had became really interested in the girl, she was not what she had originally thought at all and it made her want to discover more about her. Although with everyone around, she was not sure she could do that, especially if they had to take care of the drama between Hope and Lizzie. Being the only ones who knew could be really exausting at times. The did not really talked about it but from what she had seen, the twins were really close and told each other everything, so she knew Josie knew.

" Uh, sure it will be fun ! ", she said as enthusiastically as she could before leaving her to join her friends. Of course it would be fun, what could go wrong ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess the angst between those two was not that bad..............


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is really appreciated :)

The next morning, Alaric announced that the classes would start on that day, unlike what was originally planned. Lizzie was certain it had more to do with the fact that Mystic Falls was a small city, there was not that much to do around and he did not find anything interesting enough to impress the guests.

She was not too disappointed though, it gave her something to focus on while she avoided Hope. They had not talked since the bathroom incident and it was better that way. Lizzie knew she wanted to apologies and everything but she was not ready to forgive her, she did not even know what she was supposed to say to her. She knew she had been lucky when she switched partners the day before but she was truly hoping that luck would keep going.

Her hopes were quickly gone, however, when she saw her two least favorite persons waiting in front of her classroom.

" Uhm. Excuse me but what do you think you're doing ? ", she was not even asking at this point, it was more of an agression.

" We're waiting for the teacher. Duh. ", Penelope answered, not impressed in the slightest. Hope had not seen her coming, she had her back on her so she slowly turned and gave her an awkward smile. The taller girl simply ignored her, much to the girl's despair.

" But you can't... ", Lizzie said desperately. She knew they could, but out of all the classes in that school, they had to be in the same as her.

" Sure we can, ", the dark haired girl shoved her schedule to her face, " See ? Are you too dumb to understand or just naturally blonde ? ".

The blonde could not believe what she just heard, how dared she ?

Before she could say anything, her arm was grabbed by Josie who had come just on time to hear that last comment. She frowned at the raven haired girl, a disappointed look on her face, as she pulled her sister away from the discussion.

Josie managed to avoid the drama and tried to calm her sister down as they came into the classroom. 

On the other hand, Penelope was quite happy with what she had done. She had to protect Hope from the Lizzie tornado that was about to destroy her, she knew the blonde had been hurt and she had every right to be but she would not let anyone yell at her bestfriend. Least of all Lizzie Saltzman. She could not quite remember when their bickering had started but for as long as she could remember, they had never gotten along. However, besides what she tried to tell herself, she could not help but feel bad, a very small part of her at least. She felt bad because of the look the brunette had given her, she knew she had just ruined the progress they had just made.

During the lesson, she thought of ways to get the girl to forgive her. She had no idea why, but that thought obsessed her. It looked like for once, she actually cared about what someone other than Hope or her cousin, Jed, thought of her.

She did not want to bother her best friend even though she was the one to usually give her advice. Moreover, the girl looked a bit mad at her too, she had not said a word to her since the incident in the hallway. She was starting to regret what she had said to Lizzie, even though she would not admit it and still thought she deserved it.

After a few more minutes, she came up with something. She tapped the shoulder of the guy in front of her, " Hey, MG right ? Could you give that to Josie please ? "

MG took the paper but did not seem too sure about what to do with it, he knew who the girl was and he heard what she had said to Lizzie. He was starting to believe the stories he had heard about her. " After that number you pulled in the hallway ? Why would I do that ? ", he whispered.

" Look man, I'm sorry alright ? I swear I'm actually much friendlier but I had my reasons. This note is actually a first step toward burrying the hachette with one half of the twins. "

He did not look too convinced but he decided that it was not his business so he passed the note.

" Thank you ! ", Penelope smiled at him.

Josie got the note and she did not know where it came from until she saw 'Jojo :)', written on the other side. She rolled her eyes at the nickname, there was only one person who called her that and she knew exactly who. She was upset and for a short amount of time, she contemplated not opening the letter, but she decided against it.

I'm sorry for earlier, let me apology properly at lunch or after school, please.

PS : I love your space buns :)

-Penelope

At the end of the letter, she also put in her phone number, which made Josie hesitate. Sure, the day before had been nice but the scene before class had proven to her that she might have been right about not trusting her, after all she's Hope bestfriend.

UNKNOWN NUMBER : I don't want to talk to you.

PENELOPE : Then why did you took the time to text ?

The dark haired girl spotted the girl looking at her phone and not answering, she knew she had made a point, and maybe there was still a small chance to be heard so Penelope tried again.

PENELOPE : In case you change your mind, I'll be in the backyard at 16:00, I hope to see you there.

She truly hopped that, the girl did not answer but Penelope knew it would take time. In the meantime, she decided to also apologies to her bestfriend.

The bell rang and it was time for them to go to another classroom so Penelope shoot her shot and on her was there, she spoke.

" Hey... I'm sorry, I know you don't like me being mean to blondie... "

" Yeah well it doesn't seem to bother you. "

" Look Hope, I'm sorry alright ? ", she seemed truly sincere her, " I just didn't like how she came to us like she owned the place, well I suppose she does... Sort of... But the point is, I know you're trying to make things better with her and it's already hard enough without me insulting her. "

Hope thought for a seconde but her face softened fast, " It's alright... And thank you for standing up for me, I truly did not know what to say to her so I guess you saved me, in a way. I just wished it wasn't by making her even more upset though. ", she chuckled at the end rethinking of the scene, she loved Penelope and she knew she could be a lot but that was her bestfriend and she loved her just the way she was. 

" I'll make it up to you... I also apologized to Josie. "

" You did ? ", she seemed really impressed by that, "It's not everyday you apologies, and twice nonetheless ! "

" I guess I felt like this time, it was important. "

" You mean she was ? ", Hope looked at her smirking, it was the first time Penelope seemed so genuine about someone, and the fact that that someone was Josie, and that it had been in less than a day really was a first.

" No ! Don't push it Mikealson ! I guess I just felt bad or... I don't know ! ", Penelope tried to explain. But what was there to explain ? Even she did not know that. It just felt like something she had to do.

Hope knew better than to push so she dropped it, she knew her friend would close off if she insisted too much and she had waited for so long for her to finally care about someone other than her, and herself. She knew she was one of the rare exception and she was not complaining but she wanted to see her being happy with someone else, Hope knew that feeling and she truly wanted her friend to feel it too, she deserved it.

They arrived to their next class and everything went back to normal between them, Penelope still waited anxiously for the end of the day though, she knew she needed to find the right words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you like it so far :)
> 
> PS: Does someone know how to switch on italics in here ?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some posie to warm your heart :)

The bell rang, it was officially the end of classes for the day. It was also the time Penelope asked Josie to join her. She was full of doubts, the girl did not know if the brunette would come, if she would accept her apologies or even what she would say. She had tried to think about it, she did not even have to try, she had imagined scenarios in her head all day long, but she knew that imagining and living it were two very different things.

She left Hope who gave her a final pep talk, before heading to the backyard. It was still sunny and the spring air was tempered, not too hot and not too cold, just as she liked it. She found a bench and she sat anxiously, she stayed there for 10 minutes, the girl knew she had been there right on time and that it could be long to cross the school so she tried not to lose hope, but, somehow, Josie did not strike her as a person who was often late, especially if this person was in the building next to her.

Still, she waited.

And she waited...

The dark haired girl was about to get up when she saw the taller girl from afar, she looked hesitant so she joined her. Penelope gave her a small smile, and a shy 'hey'. Josie did the same, without exactly smiling.

" I didn't know if you would come, but I'm glad you did. "

" I didn't either... ", Josie told her.

" Look, I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have talked to your sister like that... "

" Why are you saying this to me then ? It's her you should apologize to. ", she still looked a little mad.

" And I will, but I also wanted to apologize to you because I don't... ", she did not want her to think she was a bitch, "I enjoyed teaming up with you yesterday and I didn't want this morning to ruin what we had... "

" And what is it we had Penelope ? ", she did not look too impressed.

" The beginning of a friendship, at least I hope. ", she said uncertainly.

" But how could I be friend with someone who treat my sister like that ? I thought we might had that too but I can't be your friend if at the end of the day you stay Hope's bitchy friend whose only goal is to make my twin suffer. "

That hurted a little, but she knew she deserved it, she could be a bitch from time to time.

" I know it's not okay, but you have to trust I had a good reason. "

" A good reason ? That's not good enough. What could possibly be a good enough reason to insult my sister in front of the whole class ?! ", she rose her voice.

" I did it to protect Hope ! Alright ? "

" What do you mean to 'protect her' ? From what exactly ?! ", Josie seemed confused.

" From your sister, I guess... "

" What ?! ", she said in disblief, " It should be the other way around ! Hope is the one who broke her heart and completely ghosted her ! "

" I know that but you don't have the whole story and I just couldn't let your sister unleash her inner bitch on her like that, I mean I can easily handle it but Hope wasn't even ready to see her this early in the morning. She has trouble dealing with her emotions and well sometimes it can be dangerous for her or others... "

" And you think Lizzie was ready ? You think she doesn't have trouble dealing with her emotions too ? "

" I know she does and that's why I wanted to apologize, Hope was mad at me too for that... "

They were still standing in the garden so Penelope offered to walk around.

Josie seemed curious as to why Hope still cared for her sister since she did not seem to for the past two years, and since Penelope promised to be honest she told her everything, Hope's parents death and the traumas that made her scare of getting too close to someone. She did not say it in full detail of course because she did not want to break her trust, she knew Hope did not want some things to be known, all the dark times she went through, so Penelope stuck with a simpler version of the story.

Josie seemed much calmer now, she was starting to understand the reasons that lead Hope to push her sister away, and from the looks of it, the tribrid seemed as hurt as her sister if not more. She was also starting to feel guilty because she knew she had not been there enough for her when her parents passed away, even though they were still supposed to be friends at the time. If she had just been a good friend maybe it would not have happened ?

Penelope noticed the look of guilt on her face so she stopped in her tracks, " Hey, look at me. ", she said gently, "I know what you're thinking, Hope told me you used to be close and it is not your fault. "

" From what you told me, it doesn't seem so obvious. I could have done more to help her, I should have- "

" She doesn't blame you alright ? You were young and from what I can tell, you're already a lot more there for others than most people. You were all young, and you know Hope, she doesn't talk that much about her emotions... I know it lead to that mess with your sister but I honestly don't think either of you could have prevented it so don't blame yourself too hard. "

Josie seemed hesitant, but she knew deep down that Penelope was right, they were young, too young to notice their friend was not in a good place.

" Thank you Penelope ", she said as her face softened, "for telling me, I know you're probably not supposed to. I won't tell Lizzie. But Hope should try to talk to her, again I mean. "

" Yeah that embush in the bathroom wasn't her finest moment. ", Penelope chuckled, "Thank you for understanding and I know it probably doesn't entirely excuse what I did but as I told you I freaked out and I had to act fast. "

" Penelope Park freaked out ? ", she feigned being shocked, " That's a first ! "

The dark haired girl rolled her eyes, but she was glad they had made up.

" You know, you could try to talk to her too, Hope I mean, I know it would make her happy. ", Penelope suggested.

Josie seemed to think about it, she knew it was not that easy since Lizzie was always aware of her whereabouts but with those new informations she really wanted to, she felt she she even needed to.

" I would like that very much but Lizzie- "

" Don't worry I'll find something to make her busy. ", Penelope reassured her.

They headed back to the building, they had talked for more than an hour and Josie knew her twin was probably looking for her since they were supposed to study together.

" I should go... See you tomorrow. ", she told the dark haired girl with a smile.

" Does that mean you forgive me ? "

" Let's just say I might not hate you. ", Josie said while turning her back to go, leaving the other girl with a grin on her face. 'That girl really is something else', Penelope thought. She was glad that at the end of the day, everything went well. Sharing with her had freed her, in a way. She had wanted to talk to someone other than Hope about it for a long time, and she had finally found someone. If she was completely honest with herself, it was not just about the tribrid, she was glad they were back on good terms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, I probaly won't be posting very often for the next month since my exams are coming and I should REALLY start studying but I'll do my best :)
> 
> Thanks for the positive feedback I really enjoy reading your comments !


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found some time to write :)

After the talk, everything went back to normal. Josie and Penelope were back on a friendlier path, Hope still tried to find the right moment to talk to her ex, and Lizzie still hated her and her bestfriend. Well, it is what she kept telling herself, she knew hate was easier than... Some other feelings that she forbade herself to feel.

On Wednesday, when everyone entered the classroom, they were greeted by their teacher, Freya and Alaric. None of them knew what it was about so they sat at the same seats as the day before and waited patientely. 

" Hello everyone, we heard about an altercation between students from The Salvatore School and The Mikealson School, so M. Saltzman and I have decided that from now on there had to be one student from each school at a table. No more communitarianism. ", this decision provoked whispers in all the room, no one seemed too pleased to hear that, " Do I need to remind you all that this visit is before all a way to connect with people like us, who know what you feel and may have shared the same traumas as you ? ", Freya finally said.

" Freya is right so you better start moving now ! ", Alaric told them.

Everyone in the classroom started to get moving, Josie did not know where to go until she felt a hand on her shoulder, " Hey Jojo, wanna sit together ? "

" Sure. ", she knew Penelope was the best option for her right now and besides, she meant what she had said about feeling like they could become friends. Thus, they sat at Penelope's table, which was located in the back of the room. It only took after she sat for Josie to realize that she had forgot something... If she was there with the dark haired girl, sitting on Hope's former chair, then where was Hope ?

She rose her head and saw an embarrassed Hope in the middle of the classroom, everyone seemed to have found a partner but her. She looked hesitant to sit on the chair next to her. It did not take long for the brunette to realize where the tribrid would have to sit. Next to Lizzie.

At first she started to feel bad for choosing to go with Penelope, she could have gone with Hope so her sister would not have to, especially since she wanted to talk to her after what she had learned the day before. But then she realized that having a risk of Penelope and Lizzie sitting together was even worse. At least now there would not be any drama since the two girls avoided even looking at each other.

At some point during the lesson, the dark haired girl whispered to her neighbor, " Hey, I was thinking that maybe you could come talk to Hope after school and we could like go out together or something ? "

" That's a good idea but I'm pretty sure that I will have to stay with Lizzie for a bit, she probably has a lot on her mind right now. ", she said pointing at her sister and Hope.

" Yeah I've noticed the tense atmosphere as soon as I saw them sitting together... Hope will probably need me too. "

" But I can try to come by your room after dinner ? "

" Sure ! ", the thought of seeing the girl after school, at a time where they actually chose to see each other warmed her heart, for once she would not feel like Josie was forced to hang out with her.

When the bell rang, the brunette hurried up, she needed to go check on her twin fast. When she got to her, Lizzie was silent, you could tell she just needed to get out, and so she did. She had to go to her usual spot in the woods, otherwise she felt like she would explode. The blonde had to go through the entire lecture bottling her emotions up but she knew she could not do it any longer so she left Josie with barely an explaination and headed to the woods.

She had reached the old mill and was about to let everything go when she heard a noise behind her, she turned slowly, ready to snap at whoever interrupted her. 

To her surprise, she was met by a wolf instead of a human. Most people, even witches like her, would usually run when confronted with a werewolf but Lizzie was familiar with this one, and the tribrid had already hurt her more than she could now.

" What are you doing here ? ", she sighed, fully aware that she would not have any answers. Hope put her ears back and sat quietly, her sad eyes telling what she wished to say out loud.

" So now you're stalking me, huh ? That's pretty ironic for someone who literally ghosted me. ", Lizzie crossed her arms. Her eyes were starting to be wet and her voice to tremble. She knew she had sworn to herself not to talk to the girl again but at that moment she thought that maybe telling her how she felt would be more therapeutic than simply scream.

" You really had some nerve showing up here with your insufferable satanic best friend as if nothing had happened ! As if you didn't make me fall for you just to leave when I was finally opening up to someone other than Josie ! And yeah, I said fall, Hope, because I was in love with you. I know you probably don't care about that but I felt like I needed to say it. "

She started to chuckle bitterly, " I never told that to anyone you know ? You were the only one capable of making me feel so much, I felt so alive with you... I have spent so much time telling myself I was over you... And the worse part is : all of that came back the second you stepped out of that bus. Only this time, it hurted. ", a tear fell down her cheek.

" It hurted so much, Hope... ", the wolf was still paying attention to the blonde, you could tell she was hurt as well but she knew she had to let Lizzie finish.

" And then you just had to come in that fucking bathroom and drop an apology like you spilled mayonnaise on me by mistake or something ! I had dreamt about you apologizing, actually... So many times... "

" But those fantasies faded as time passed... After a few months I realized you were not going to text back at all and even less apologize. I tried to move on, I partied a lot and had a few hook ups but none of them made me feel anything... I just wanted to feel something, but you left me emptier than when you found me. " 

" I don't even know if I'm still mad at you or if I'm just mad at me for not being able to forget you... No. You know what ? Fuck that. I'm fucking mad at you ! I spent so much time doubting myself and hating myself because of you, but not anymore. I'm great. And I let you ruin me but it won't happen again, I'm prepared now. So I guess in a way I should be thanking you ? Because of you I know people will try to hurt me but I won't let them, Hope, I won't let anyone make me feel like you did ever again. "

" So now I guess you can go back to your friends and laugh about it, it's probably what you've been doing everytime I texted you or tried to call you. It must have been so funny to see me try, knowing it was useless, knowing you played me all along... ", she stared a last time at the wolf in front of her.

" Now go ! I want to be alone. ", Hope seemed hesitant to move so Lizzie grabbed a small rock and threw it at her, she missed, probably on purpose, and she yelled, " GO ! "

Hope did as she was told, every word the blonde had told her were resonating in her head. She knew she had hurt the girl but seing her like that, so upset, so cold... She had never wanted her to stop trusting people, on the contrary she had hoped that she would meet someone who, unlike her, would make her happy and would be able to protect her.

She had never realized her importance in the girl's life, she had never thought someone other than her family would care for her as much as Lizzie did. But apparently she had been wrong. And on top of it all, the taller girl was certain that Hope had played her just to humiliate her... But the tribrid could not be mad at her for thinking that, who would not after all ? 

It had been hard for her to hear all of that but she knew it was necessary, now she had to try even harder to get Lizzie to hear her out, she had to tell her version of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked that little monologue ! It was Lizzie's turn to express her feelings.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone ! I am finally back with another chapter, it's longer this time I swear. Sorry for being gone for so long but now that I am done with exams I will go back to updating faster. :)

Penelope had not been able to find her best friend for the rest of the day, she was not worried though, she knew Hope probably needed to be alone so she did not put too much thoughts into it, it was not the first time nor the last she would do that. She was surprised, however, by a text from her new brunette friend at the end of the day.

 

_Jojo: Hey ! Apparently my sister is MIA so maybe I can come by your room sooner ?_

 

_Penelope: Yeah no pb !_

 

She had just arrived in her room so she put her bags down and cleaned up a few things from her room before Josie arrived, she did not want to look messy. She was not messy at all but she did not want the brunette to think that she was. She did not know why that suddenly mattered but it did. Although, she did not have time to ask herself why meaningless things started to matter as soon as it involved the girl since she heard knocks on her door.

 

She prepped herself and opened the door. Penelope was met with a shy brunette, which was unusual. She let out a small " Hey ! ", and smiled awkwardly.

 

" Hey ! " , they stayed there, at the entrence of Penelope's room, just starring at each other in awkwardness until Josie could not take it anymore, " So... Are you gonna invite me in or... ? "

 

" Oh yeah ! Right uhm sorry... Come on in my dear ", the dark haired girl offered with a charming smile as she made a move with her hand to lead the way.

 

" So no more Jojo ? ", she said as she came in the room.

 

" Oh no definitely. Why ? Are you finally accepting it ? ", the girl raised an eyebrow.

 

" Never... ", she sat on one of the beds and looked around to see if Hope was there, " So... Where is Hope ? I was kinda hoping to see her. "

 

" Shit ! I forgot to tell you over text but she's been MIA too actually. But you can still stay for a bit if you want ? In case she comes back. "

 

" Sure, I guess I can try to bear your company while waiting for her. ", she stated dramatically.

 

Penelope crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, " I wouldn't want to be such a burden to you, Jojo. "

 

" Nah I guess you're alright for now... ", Josie looked around the room a little more and she found canvas near the window, " I see Hope still paint everytime she has the chance ", she smiled at the countless memories of Hope painting when they were little, she always asked her and Lizzie to be her models and Lizzie could never hold still.

 

" Hey it could be mine ! Assuming she's the only artist sleeping in that room is rude, Jojo. "

 

" Are you saying it's yours then ? ", Josie raised an eyebrow.

 

" No... But it could have. There are a lot of things you don't know about me. "

 

" Like what ? ", she challenged. She knew the girl was right, it had not been long since they had gotten closer and the girl seemed full of mysteries. Mysteries she wanted to know, maybe even longed to know. The girl radiated the kind of energy that just draws you in, and Josie was no exception to that even though she would not admit it yet. She knew the girl was not there for long and she did not want to feel more towards her, she would not allow herself. The friendship they were starting to build had to be enough. So, for now, she just wanted to get to know her, to be friends. It was as simple as that.

 

Luckily enough, Penelope felt the same way so she chose something random enough and funny enough to not get somewhere too deep. " Everyone thinks my best friend is Hope, but in reality my best friend is a 5 years old turtle named Richard. "

 

" Richard ? ", she struggled to keep a straight face.

 

" Yeah, he looked like one when I got it. ", Penelope said very seriously.

 

That was it. Josie could not contain her laughter any longer. She laughed histerically for almost five minutes while penelope chuckled too, usually she does not let anyone make fun of Richard but seeing the other girl laugh this way and being the one responsible of it made her happy. I could get used to it, she thought.

 

" You know what's the funniest ? ", the brunette asked when she finally caught her breath.

 

" No, tell me ? "

 

" It's the perfect animal for you, because of your cute turtle face. ".

 

Cute ? Josie was too busy laughing to realize what she had just said but Penelope was not and she could not stop herself from blushing.

 

" My what ? "

 

" Your turtle face ! You know the awkward smile you make sometimes, I always thought it looked like a turtle. ", she tried to explain.

 

" I don't have a turtle face ! ", she feigned to be offended. The truth was, she had one. She knew it and Hope reminded her of that every time she could.

 

" You have one ! "

 

None of them heard the door of the dorm open and they were both startled when they heard Hope's voice, " I second that P, you have one and you know it. "

 

They both turned to face her, the girl looked exhausted and it looked like she had been crying. She still had a weak smile on her face, though. Josie knew it was her cue to leave, she did not want to, she still wanted to talk to the tribrid, that was why she was her after all, and she was having a great time but Hope being here reminded her that her sister was somewhere in the school too and she should go look after her.

 

" Hi Hope ! I'm sorry to leave so soon but I think I should go try to look for my sister again. Do you think we could talk some time, though ? ", she asked. Hope knew what she wanted and since now Penelope had told Josie, there were no reasons to hide, she actually missed the girl. So, she agreed and asked the girl if they could have lunch the day after.

 

" Yeah it would be great ! ", she was near the door by now, " Goodbye, turtle face, see you tomorrow ! ", without hesitating, Penelope grabbed a pillow and threw it at the girl. It was Josie's turn to pretend to be offended, " I didn't know turtles were so violent ! ", she chuckled childishly.

 

She shot one last friendly smile at Hope, and she was gone.

 

 

* * *

 

 

" You two seemed to have fun, sorry for ruining the moment. ", Hope told her best friend once the door closed behind her.

 

" Stop apologizing dummy, you know you didn't ruin anything. ", Penelope said while inviting her to sit next to her on the bed.

 

" So... You were really cheerful, like REALLY. ", Hope looked at her friend knowingly. She had already noticed a change in her behavior since the town's tour, but seing her bickering with Josie really convinced her.

 

Penelope tried to shrug it off, " Yeah it was fun, I guess. I told her about Richard and then she made fun of my turtle face. "

 

" That's all it was ? "

 

" What do you mean ? "

 

" Nothing... I just thought that maybe, you felt more than friendly feelings toward her... "

 

Penelope froze. Did she ? She had had a particular interest in the girl for sure but did it mean she had a crush on her ? It was too soon to tell anyway, it had just been a few days, she could not fall for someone that quickly. Not her. Not the one everyone called 'The Queen of Broken Hearts'. Not the girl who has never found someone able to peak her attention enough... Until now.

 

" Penelope... Forget what I just said, you obviously had not thought about it. ", Hope tried to reassure her friend.

 

" But what if I did ? What if  unconsciously, I've noticed too ? "

 

" I don't know, you tell me. Would that be a bad thing ? "

 

" Maybe ? ", she answered. Penelope was clearly confused by what Hope had told her. She had tried to deny what she had felt for the brunette the second they had that discussion on that first day. She knew it was not that deep yet but she also knew it could become more really fast and she had to avoid that at all cost, it would make things so complicated. Lizzie already hated her enough she did not want to make things worse or jeopardize the twin's relationship, she also wanted to protect Hope. She knew the girl and her friend will have to talk and she was actually eager about that but she also knew staying here was not good for the tribrid so once they would leave, none of them would look back and they would just try to avoid going the year after, like they usually did.

 

" Why ? Josie is a nice girl, she's not straight and you're quite charming. "

 

" You know why. ", the last thing she wanted was Hope feeling guilty about it, it was not her fault but Penelope always felt like she needed to protect her.

 

" You know, it has nothing to do with me right ? ", the smaller girl knew what the girl was thinking, she was her closest friend and she had always been there for her, so she knew her logic, or lack of it sometimes.

 

The raven haired girl avoided her friend's eyes, maybe she knew that. It still did not change the fact that she could not act on her feelings, just like Hope said, Josie was a good girl and Penelope ? Well Penelope was not, she was selfish, she had hurt people because love was not for her, she had figured that out a long time ago, she had made peace with that fact. She would not ruin her new found friendship, especially not if it meant the girl she cared about would end up hating her.

 

Hope said nothing. They already had conversations like this and she knew what her best friend thought of herself, she did not share this opinion but changing Penelope's mind was not an easy thing. The girl was stubborn. Instead of arguing pointlessely, she took the girl in her arms. Hope did not see the tear rolling quietly down her friend's cheek but she felt her pain so she hugged her tighter.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Once their hug was over, Penelope asked Hope where she had been and Hope told her everything, what Lizzie had told her, how the guilt was even stronger now. It was the raven haired girl's turn to be here for her friend now.

 

After a couple of hours of them talking, they settled in Hope's bed and watched the girl's favorite show, How I Met your Mother and fell asleep not even half in the first episode.

 

All those feelings had been exhausting and they knew they had to brace themselves for the time they still had in the Salvatore School...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still a slut for feedback so tell me what you think so far and/or if there are things you'd like to see in the upcoming chapters ! 
> 
> PS: I finally discoverd the "rich text" option and it's great I feel dumb for not checking it sooner lol


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is way longer than usual, I'll try to make them this way from now on. I hope you enjoy the story so far !

****

Hope woke up with a heavy heart on Thursday, but the presence of her best friend literally by her side made things better. She was not alone anymore. She was also eager to speak with Josie, she knew things between would not go back to the way they used to be right away but still, she missed her chilhood friend.

 

She also missed her other childhood friend, who ended up being way more than that, but getting that one back seemed impossible. She could not erase what she had done, it was too late and she knew that. Moreover, she was not sure she would get back into her life even if she could, she was too much of a burden. At least that was how she was seeing herself, much to Penelope's and her family's displeasure.

 

She tried to shake those thoughts off, people had told her enough that brewing over things from the past never did any good, so she thought she could try not to do that for once. Although, it was easier said than done. Especially for someone who had spent half her life doing that.

 

She decided to go take a shower and left her bed, Penelope was still very much asleep but she still tried to be as quiet as possible.

 

This time, she was alone in the bathroom, much to her relief. She did not know what she was supposed to do or say the next time she would see her ex. She needed to have a conversation with her, she owed her that, but she did not see how it would be possible, unless she tied Lizzie to a chair and forced her to listen. Moreover, a conversation, sure, but to say what ? That she was sorry ? She already tried that. To explain why she did what she did ? She did not even know herself. So, for now, all she needed to do was to avoid her and avoid getting in trouble. She needed the rest of her trip to go smoothely. That was what would be the best for Lizzie, for them. Although, she also really wanted to talk to her, one last time at least. The tribrid was very confused about this whole thing, and that was part of why she wanted that conversation with Josie, she would know what to do. Josie had always been good at giving advice, and she could really have used some.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Only a few rooms away, the twins woke up in the same bed as well, they also had had one of their cuddling session, it was their ritual, as soon as one of them was upset, the other one was there.

 

Lizzie had not told much to her sister, only that she had released her anger in the woods and bumped into the tribrid. Josie did not need much of an explanation, considering the fact that she had seen the two afterwards and she knew her sister.

 

At some point, Lizzie had asked her where she had been before joining her and Josie had lied. She said she had been studying with MG and since her sister was not feeling well, she did not argue. Josie did not want to lie to her sister, she never did, their whole relationship was based on honesty but how was she supposed to tell her she had been hanging out with a girl she hated ? How was she supposed to tell her she actually liked her ? That Penelope Park was actually not that bad ?

 

She could not.

 

She needed to protect her sister. She thought it was what she was doing at least. Although, deep down, she knew she was being selfish. She did not hide the fact that she was spending time with the raven haired girl because she did not want to hurt her sister, she lied because she wanted to keep doing it. She wanted to keep doing it without any judgement, she wanted to know more about Penelope and with the shadow of her sister's disapproval, it would not be possible.

 

They prepared for school, and, an hour later, they were sitting in class. The first thing Josie noticed was Hope's absence. She was not surprised about it though, she knew Lizzie had also considered not coming.

 

The brunette asked Penelope where she was nonetheless, worried she would miss their talk.

 

" She is late, but she told me she would be there at lunch if that's what you're worried about. "

 

" I wasn't- ", Josie tried to defend herself but she was cut by a knowing look from the other girl, she could not argue.

 

She took the time to look at her eyes in that moment, they were mesmerizing. She had already noticed but seeing them so close was a whole other thing. She was getting lost in them before Penelope snapped her out of it, " Hey, are you okay ? ", she chuckled awkwardly.

 

Josie shook her head to fully collect herself. She was so embarassed, what had just happened ? Since when was this something she did, she was not the kind of girl easily distracted, and surely not by a friend she just made days ago.

 

Because yes, Penelope was her friend. A very charming, attractive, friend with a laugh she could listen to for hours and green eyes that could stare into her soul, but still, just a friend.

 

Josie started to avoid the other girl's worried look when she realized her way of thinking started to deflect dangerously.

 

She managed to avoid her for the rest of the morning, and at noon, it was time for her to join Hope outside. Apparently she got MG to cover for her and eat with Lizzie so they would be able to talk without interruption.

 

When she stepped out of the school, she saw Hope nervously waiting, she knew the girl was not one for sharing. This talk would be a real challenge for her, but Hope knew it needed to be done, they both knew.

 

She approached her carefully and when she was close enough, she greeted her.

 

" Hey ! ", she said lightly. Apparently the tribrid had been too caught up in her thoughts to hear her steps so she jumped a little but quickly recovered.

 

" Oh Josie, hey ! "

 

" Do you mind if we walk ? "

 

" No, not at all, I was about to ask you the same thing anyway. "

 

The atmosphere was still tense between them. Not because they resented each other but because of all the unspoken things that went on between them, that had ruined their friendship, and that were now about to be said.

 

They both missed their friend dearly so that talk meant a lot, they needed to be careful, it may was their last chance for a truce.

 

" Hope, I'm sorry. ", Josie blurted out as soon as they started walking.

 

The tribrid was confused, what was she sorry for ? She had nothing to be sorry for, none of this was her fault, if anything it was her own fault.

 

" I'm sorry for not seeing you needed help, and not trying to talk to you harder, even when you said you didn't want to... It lead to this whole mess... If I had been a better- "

 

" Hey ! Don't you dare finish that sentence Josie. ", Hope cut her off. " You were the best friend I could have asked for and I was lucky to have you. It's on me. I ruined everything. ", I always do, she thought.

 

" But Hope you were 16, you'd just became an orphan and I, your so called best friend, was not able to see you were hurt way more than what you told me. I should have known you would never do that. "

 

" Do what ? Ruin everything ? Because that's what I always do, so don't blame yourself too hard. ", she raised her voice.

 

Josie looked at her in disblief. The girl in front of her was very different from the one she played with 10 years ago. This one seemed so hurt, there was a sadness in her eyes that could only be seen up close, and once you noticed it, it became the only thing you could feel emanating from her.

 

" Hope are you serious right now ? Do you really blame yourself for everything that happened with Lizzie ? With me ? We were kids ! None of us knew how to react, how to care of each other or how to deal with our emotions. "

 

" That's not an excuse and you know it. But I can't do anything about it now, we can't change the past, we have to live with it and I intend to fix my mistakes. That is, if I don't fuck everything up again. ", she said rather calmly. Hope seemed so mature in that moment, you could see she had thought about it, she was determined.

 

" You won't accept what I said, huh ? I'm sure people have told you that already anyway... ", Josie sighed. " But know that I don't blame you anymore, I probably would have done even worse if I were you. You're strong, Hope, more than any of us, and you trying to fix what happened is another proof of that. "

 

" No, I'm not- "

 

" Yes you are ! Even if you don't see it now, I can assure you that you are. And I want to protect my sister, of course, so I'm not sure if I should help you fix what happened, especially if it means her having to live all of it again, but I'm sure about one thing : You two need to talk, a real talk this time. It will probably be hard for the both of you but this whole avoiding each other thing has to stop. It's causing too much pain, to her, to you and even to me. I miss my friend. "

 

Hope looked up and saw in the brunette's eyes how serious she was. Judging by her look, she did not have a choice now, she would have to talk to Lizzie. She wanted to, of course, but a big part of her was also scared. The girl meant a lot for her and having to look her in the eyes, owning her mistakes and seeing her suffering right before her seemed like something she could never do. Who could ?

 

" That's my intention... But I don't know if that's a good idea. ", she confessed.

 

" It probably isn't, but it must be done, and you know it, otherwise you wouldn't have tried to approach her in the bathroom, or in the woods. "

 

" She told you about it ? "

 

" Yeah, it seemed rather intense, ", she scoffed, " but she did all the talking, you need a chance to explain yourself too. "

 

" Yeah, you're right, but I need to find the right time... "

 

" That's for sure, but don't wait too long, you only have a week and a half left. "

 

" Thanks... For everything, for the talk, I really needed it. "

 

" Me too, and even if you don't believe in what I said, or in yourself, know that some people do. We're here for you Hope. "

 

" I know... ", they were almost back to the school. They both wished they had more time, but they still had classes and MG could only occupy Lizzie for so long. They parted ways, near the end of the garden, both feeling much lighter. They did not take care of all the issues but at least, now they knew where they stood.

 

" And Josie ? ", Hope called her once they were already a few feets appart, " I missed my friend too. ", she smiled at her.

 

This talk had been a relief for them, everything was not lost. Their friendship was not dead.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Josie rushed to the main hall after her talk with Hope, she was supposed to meet MG and her sister there. They had told the later she needed to study, so, for Lizzie, Josie had spent lunch time in the library.

 

She managed to keep her cool in front of Lizzie even if it was hard, really hard. She hated lying to her. She was supposed to be the only one in the world she could actually rely on in every situation, but desparate times called for desperate means...

 

Although, they had to go their separate ways shortly after their reunion. The twins did not share their next class and since MG's class was next to Josie's, he offered to walk her.

 

" So, how did it go ? ", he asked when they were far enough from the blonde.

 

" I think it went well... I hope at least. ", she said while trying not to get lost in her thoughts. This conversation had raised even more questions in her head, she truly did not know what she was supposed to do. Should she really let Hope get close enough to her sister so they would talk ? What if it was too hard for Lizzie to handle ? What if it lead to a new 'episode' ?

 

She had to take everything into consideration, weight the pros and the cons of letting that conversation happen, even if, ultimately, it was not her decision to make.

 

" That's good then... "

 

" Yeah. ", they settled in an awkward silence, which was unusual for them, she could tell MG was bothered with something.

 

" You're surprisingly quiet today, what did Lizzie do to you ? ", she joked.

 

" Nothing, she was actually in a good mood. "

 

" So what is it then ? "

 

MG seemed reluctant to tell her but she insisted with her look and he eventually caved in, " It's just... You seem to spend a lot of time with Penelope these days... I saw you go to her room and all and, well, is there something going on between you two ? Do you like her or something ? Because last time I checked, you were supposed to hate her you know ? If you two are dating you can tell me, I'm your best friend. I won't tell Lizzie I swear. ", he blurted out nervously.

 

Josie stared at him in disblief. She could not believe what he just said. She liked Penelope but not like that. Not at all. What even made him say that ? Just because they had hung out together a few times did not mean she liked her romantically.

 

" What ? No ! Not at all ! I just hung out with her because she asked me to. She's not that bad, sure, but I could never date someone like her ! ", she tried to justify herself.

 

" Alright alright, I was just checking... But, just so you know, I would be totally fine with it. Y'all would make a cute couple. "

 

" I... Thanks but it's not gonna happen MG, I told you, I like her as a friend but I don't see myself dating someone like that. "

 

This conversation did not go unheard by a certain raven haired witch who was walking behind them. She originally had planned to make her presence noticed before hearing her name pop in the conversation. Saying it did not hurt her to hear the brunette say that would be a lie. She knew she was not dating material, she was far from it, but this particular girl saying it felt like someone punched her directly into her heart. Penelope was used to people saying that about her, she had heard way worse, but this time it really hit differently.

 

Josie on the other hand was not even sure herself of what she had just told MG. What 'I don't see myself dating someone like that' even meant ? That she did not see herself dating someone with such a contagious laugh ? Someone with those piercing green eyes that she could not take her eyes off of ? Someone who smelled so naturally good or looked so effortlessly beautiful ? Someone who was there for her friend even when said friend had lost all hope in herself ? Someone so charming Josie was sure she could literally have the whole world at her feet ? That kind of girl ?

 

It made no sense and she knew it. However, she did not have a crush on her, she could not and behond that, even if she would have, which, she reminded herself, was not the case, she could not let anyone know, especially not someone as close to her and her sister as MG.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it ? What do you think is going to happen ? 
> 
> Also I know y'all love Hizzie, I do too, but I have something in store for them later on so the next chapter will probably still be focused on Posie, since they're the ones who "start from the beginning" you know ? I'm not sure how long the next chapter will be yet or how much I'll put in it so nothing is sure for now, I just wanted to warn you guys :)
> 
> PS: I have no idea why Hope's character is so tourmented (I know I'm the writer but you know what I mean lol)... Damn someone give her a hug or something !!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this story ! I can't believe it has almost reached 8k hits...
> 
> Also I've been and I will still be really busy but I'm trying to write and update as fast as I can, so, sorry for the wait.
> 
> Sorry if there are typos !

It was friday, finally. Everyone at the school was really excited. This week had been long and the wolves' party would really be something, it always was. Sure they could be very cliquey, had bad tempers and were loud but they sure knew how to throw a good party.

 

This party was even more expected by everyone since the first week of cohabitation had been challenging, to say the least. Overcoming all the former gruges that each School held against the other had been particularly hard during the first days but the more the weekend had approached, the more everyone started to understand that they were not different at all from each other. The party would be a great occasion to create a new bond between everyone and set aside every resentment.

 

The atmosphere felt very light compared to what it had been before, even between the four girls. That is, if you count Lizzie and Hope avoiding each other particularly well and pretending everything was fine as an improvement.

 

" Hey ! Josie wait up ! ", Hope caught up with Josie in the hallway between their first and second periods.

 

" Oh, Hope, hi ! What's up ? "

 

" Nothing, really... But since it's gonna be super hot today, I was wondering if you'd wanna take your revenge. ", she proposed. Of course, Josie knew exactly what she was talking about. Ever since they became friends, they would compete against one another, in every field possible, they had stopped counting points when the numbers became too high, though. Josie remembered the last time they had played this game, she had lost and she never got the chance to take her revenge, it was a swimming race across the pool, the one behind the school.

 

" I thought you'd never ask... ", her eyes were on fire, she had always dreamt of that revenge and now she would finally get it. She did not intend to lose, but neither did Hope, that is what made all the fun.

 

" Just a warning, I asked Penelope to come too, in case you try to cheat again ! "

 

" Hey ! I've never cheated, you just suck at UNO ! ", she was referring to one of their former competitions who did not end up in Hope's favor.

 

" I do not ! "

 

" Mhmm, whatever you say... But yeah bring her, I would love to have a witness when I kick your ass. "

 

Josie's heart had started to bump when Hope had mentionned her best friend but she tried not to show it. It was stupid and she knew it, no one knew tearing her eyes off the girl was becoming harder and harder for her, no one knew she was looking for her as soon as she walked into a room and no one knew she was still trying to convince herself that it did not mean anything, that it was just innocent.

 

Moreover, Josie did not point it out, but she noticed that Hope seemed surprisingly cheerful, not that it was a bad thing, on the contrary, it just seemed odd to her since the Hope that only the day before felt like she was the reason everything fell apart was a mile away from the Hope that just asked her to play, like they did when they were kids. The brunette was too happy to take her revenge to question it, though, she thought she should enjoy it while it lasted.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The day passed and the sun became brighter and brighter, the air was really hot and you could see more and more witches trying spells to get some fresh air, or people desperately trying to find fresh water. Josie was glad Hope had asked her to go to the pool, it was really everything she needed at the moment. When classes were finally over, she took her bath suit and her towel and rushed to the pool. When she arrived, she noticed that some people had had that idea as well, but the crowd was not suffocating either, she could still race with her friend.

 

She felt a light tap on her shoulder while she was searching for Hope.

 

" Hey Jojo, waiting for Hope ? "

 

" Oh ! Hey Penelope, umh yeah I am, have you seen her ? ", she said trying to sound as casual as possible even though the girl standing in front of her stood closer than what she was prepared for and was already in her two piece bathsuit.

 

" She just texted me, her aunt told her to catch up with the lessons she missed yesterday morning if she wants to go to the party tonight... ", 'this bitch...', Penelope thought. She knew Hope could be sneaky and she knew for sure that Freya had warned Hope before this morning. She would not say anything to Josie, of course, but she was practically certain that Hope had settled that little " meeting " by the pool so they could have a moment together. She was not complaining, of course she liked spending time with Josie, but this crush thing was new to her. Spending time with Josie was a dangerous game for her, she knew she could not go further than a friendship with the girl, and she was almost sure that, even if she looked past her fear of hurting her, her fear of ruining their new found friendship and Lizzie's hatred for her, the girl did not feel the same anyway.

 

" But I heard you two had a swimming race to do is that right ? ", she continued.

 

" Yeah, but we're gonna have to postpone it now. ", Josie said with her infamous sad puppy face.

 

" I mean you could do that... Or, I could help you practice. "

 

" YOU could help me practice ? ", she looked suspiciously at her.

 

" Mhmm, I was in the swimming team for two years in middle school, and, let's just say I wasn't that bad. "

 

" I never took you for the athletic kind... Let alone the team kind. ", Josie still seemed to doubt the other girl's words. She had to admit, however, that it could explain the light abs the bathsuit she was wearing was revealing.

 

" I already told you, there are a lot of things you don't know about me Jojo. "

 

" Alright Turtle Face... Let's say I believe you, what makes you think I need practice anyway ? "

 

Penelope smiled at the nickname, the other girl would really not let it go apparently. It was only fair though, considering she kept calling her Jojo.

 

" I mean... It's Hope ? The only tribrid in the world who has werewolf strength, who happens to train a lot, who I'm pretty sure could even beat some vamps at arm wrestling without even using her powers- ".

 

" Alright, alright I get it... Thanks for believing in me... Geez. ", she cut her off, "And, besides, we have a rule about not using our powers. "

 

" Maybe... But we all know shorty is tough. ", she laughed internally at the nickname, Hope would kill her if she heard it.

 

Josie only rolled her eyes, she could not help the smirk forming on her lips either at the nickname, especially since she was pretty sure Penelope and Hope had the same height. She did not mention it though, Penelope looked too proud to handle the news.

 

" You have a point I guess... Let's do this then. "

 

Penelope agreed and once the brunette was changed they went into the water. Racing there would be difficult since there was some people in the pool as well and it was not that big, but they would find a way to make it work.

 

On the first race, Penelope won by far. Of course she teased Josie about it.

 

" And I'm the turtle ?! "

 

" Yes you are ! It was just to stretch a little, that's all. ", she said.

 

" Alright, let's do another one then. "

 

Josie lost the 6 following times and her pout was growing bigger. Penelope, of course, could not help the teasing, she was cocky by nature and she liked to win at everything. However, the pout on the other girl's face was starting to make her weak, she desperately wanted to see that beautiful smile of hers again, so, she decided to let her win for the next one.

 

" YES, I TOLD YOU I WOULD WIN IN THE END ! ", Josie yelled in victory, so loud in fact, that everyone in and around the pool looked at her.

 

Penelope was glad to see something else that the infamous pout on the brunette's face, however, she was starting to regret her choice as Josie would not shut up about how she would win against Hope.

 

" Alright, alright, Micheal Phelps... Cool it down a little because I'm sure Hope won't let you win. "

 

" 'Let me win' ? ", she raised an eyebrow while approaching her.

 

" Mhmm, that's exactly right Jojo, I let you win. ", she said confidently while crossing her arms.

 

" Is that so ? ", Josie was only a few feet away now.

 

" Yup'. ", she popped the 'p'.

 

Once the brunette was close enough, the raven haired girl felt water being thrown at her face. She was already wet, so she was not too bothered about her hair touching the water, but still she could not let that offense being made without repercussions.

 

" You do know I'm already entirely wet right ? ", she said to the culprit.

 

" Maybe... But you gotta adm- ", Josie started before the raven haired girl grabbed both her wrists and made her fall completely in the water.

 

Josie came back to the surface wiping her eyes and looking like she just had been the victim of the biggest betrayal.

 

" Oh my God, you should see your face right now ! ", Penelope bursted out laughing.

 

" It's not funny ! My arm hurts... ", she said while pretending to have trouble moving it.

 

Penelope froze, what if she really hurt her ? When she said she was scared of hurting her she was also talking phisically so she swapped her face for a more serious expression and went to see what was wrong with the girl. When she was close enough, she barely had time to notice the smirk forming on Josie's face before she tried to flip her to the water. However, Penelope's relexes were way faster than the clumsy brunette's so she managed to grab her arm first. She was the one smirking now.

 

" Not so fast Jojo... "

 

It was only after saying this that she realized how close from each other they actually were. She could just lean in and her lips would meet Josie's, just a few inches were separating her from them. Her heart started to beat faster, so fast even, that she was scared the other girl could feel it. She do not know how long they stayed in that position, just looking at each other's eyes and lips, questionning what their next move would be, but it seemed like an eternity...

 

Josie was feeling the same as Penelope, and, Penelope did not know that but Josie could not hear her heart as she was already afraid hers would manage to break her ribb cage. The brunette wanted to lean in, she craved the taste of those lips who had never been so close before, in fact, she was even the first to move, it was barely perceptible but she did. Penelope saw it and was about to do the same until a ball came crashing next to them, reminding them that they were not alone, that they could not be kissing, especially in front of everyone.

 

Josie was the first one to get out of their trance. A look of horror flashed in her eyes at the realization of what she almost did, and how she almost did it in front of everyone, anyone of Lizzie's little 'friend' could have seen her and warned her sister. It could not happen again, she had to stay strong, she had to find a way to not let it happen again.

 

" I'm sorry, I gotta go. ", was the only thing she said before getting out of the pool and letting Penlope all by herself.

 

" Wait Josie, I'm sorry ! ", Penelope tried to call her. She knew how the girl felt about her, she had heard it after all, and she knew that moment had been a mistake. Sure it had felt so right, it had felt like it was bound to happen, but most mistakes are, she thought.

 

Josie did not respond, she took her stuff and left before Penelope could follow her. She was literally running away, she was running away from the one person she actually wanted to be with.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

On her way to her room, she bumped into something, well, someone. Someone who did not try to avoid her. She looked up and saw a girl. She had seen her before but they had never talked, she was from The Mikealson School. The girl was about her size, she had red hair and gorgeous blue eyes. She looked like a model, Josie thought.

 

" Oh shit I'm sorry... ", Josie apologized to her.

 

" It's alright Josie. "

 

" How do you know my name ? ", she looked surprised.

 

" Well you're the headmaster's daughter, and also I guess I should know the name of the girl who is stealing my girlfriend. ", she said coldly.

 

" I'm sorry, what ? Stealing who ? ", she looked genuinely surprised.

 

" Penelope. I've been seeing you two flirting since the city tour... So, back off or you'll regret it. "

 

Josie looked stunned. Who the hell was she ? Why did Penelope not mentionned her sooner ? Not that it mattered since they were just friends anyway, but Josie would have liked to know.

 

The news of Penelope having a girlfriend really bothered her, not that she would let it show though. She was not expecting anything with the raven haired girl but knowing that someone else was lucky enough to kiss her, to go on dates with her, to call her their girlfriend made her angry... Maybe even jealous. She wished she had known sooner, maybe she would not have started to fall for her, maybe it would not have hurt as bad as it currently did.

 

As much as she was hurt, Josie was not about to let that stranger talk to her like that. She hated being threatened, especially by some wannabe head bitch in charge.

 

" Weird though... I've never heard of you before. Maybe you're not that important for her after all ? ", she said with a fake smile.

 

The red head looked furious, " Whatever... Enjoy whatever is happening between you two all you want but we all know the Queen of Broken Hearts will get bored. She always does. And from what I can see, you already seem dull as it is. "

 

After that, she left Josie in the hallway after bumping on purpose in her shoulder. She left her with even more questions than she had before.

 

The 'Queen of Broken Heart' ? What was that supposed to mean ? Why would she say that if they were together ? And how dared she call her dull ?

 

Josie did not believe what the girl had told her, she did not want to, but she agreed on one thing. Even if the girl had lied, Josie still knew she needed to keep Penelope a friend, and nothing more. She needed to protect herself, and also her sister, it would destroy her to see them together. On the whole, she could not let something like what happened, or almost happened, in the pool happen again. It would be hard but she had to, and she had to find a solution quickly. They had a party to go to tonight and everyone knew what alcohol, music and drinking games could do to hormonal teenagers.

 

So, Josie did the only thing she could think of to prevent anything happening with Penelope. It might have been a terrible idea but at the moment she was alone, she was out of time and she was desperate.

 

_JOSIE : HEY ! I was wondering if you'd want to be my date at the party tonight ?_

 

_RAF : Hey Josie ! Yeah I would love to._

 

_JOSIE : Awesome, you can come pick me up at 8 :)_

 

_RAF : COOL, see you tonight ;)  
_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts ?
> 
> Next chapter will be... Intense to say the least, brace yourselves... (Hizzie will be back)
> 
> If you have any suggestions, want to be warned of the updates or simply want to talk and be friends you can follow me on Twitter or Tumblr: @gayandnaps


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to cut this chapter in two parts otherwise it would have been too long, this first part is mostly setting up things I guess. I hope you enjoy :)

Josie had just finished getting ready when she heard 3 knocks at her door. She let out a sight before opening it. The truth was, she had no interest in Rafael, she had her eyes set on a pair of piercing green eyes, but she could not. So, Rafael would make a good distraction. The boy was cute, nice, popular, and had always had a thing for her. She did too at some point, but that time was long gone. She knew using him like that was bad and maybe even low, but what else could she do ? She wanted, no, she needed to protect herself. Moreover, Rafael was her friend so at least she knew she would still have a good time, she hoped at least.

 

They greeted eachother and Rafael kissed her cheek awkwardly. It was weird for the both of them, the date had been unexpected for the boy but he was not complaining. He had thought for a long time that Josie was not interested and he thought that maybe he would have his chance tonight to become more than a friend to the brunette.

 

They quickly went on their way to the party and Rafael tried to engage small talks, Josie, however, had felt that something was not right the moment she opened the door. In fact, she had felt it even before pressing send on that text. She was not supposed to be here, with him, she did not want to. She wanted to be with someone else, she wanted her to be her date to that stupid party. Josie knew it was impossible though, so, she sighed deeply and braced herself for the party.

 

They knew they were arriving when they heard the sound of loud music bumping through the woods and people's laughter echoing everywhere. As they approached, Josie started to relax, she knew it was just a party, she would be able to spend a good time with her friends, there was no reasons anything would go wrong. No reasons at all.

 

Rafael and Josie arrived at the party, Rafael, as the alpha of the werewolf pack, was quite popular so everyone started to go toward him. Josie, however was more reserved and soon enough, she tried to find more familiar faces than those people who only knew who she was from afar. She searched into the crowed and then she saw them. Of course she had to see them first. Lizzie was not there yet and MG was probably showing off on the dance floor or by the fire. By the look on Penelope's and Hope's face, they had spotted her too. Josie did not pay too much attention to that though, she thought it had something to do with something else, or at least that was what she was telling herself to stop the feeling of guilt invading her body.

 

The girls were with Landon who seemed oblivious to the situation, as usual. Rafael had just started an animated conversation with some random guy Josie had seen a few times, so she decided it was her cue to leave. She walked towards her friends who had composed themselves after seeing her with him. Penelope was hurt, sure, but not surprised. She knew that after what happened in the pool earlier, Josie would find ways to put back walls between them again, to make sure Penelope knew she could never go for 'someone like her', according to her own words.

 

" Hey ! ", Josie greeted awkwardly.

 

" Hey Josie, sorry for earlier, turns out I had work to catch up with... You know how my aunt is. ", Hope lead the discussion to avoid the elephant in the room, well, in the forest.

 

" Yeah Penelope told me ", she turned to her and gave her a smile, but it had nothing to do with the natural ones she had became used to give her, and looked at Hope again, " We'll have other occasions to play don't worry. "

 

" We both know it's more than a simple game, Jo. ", she smirked at her.

 

" You're right. ", for the first time since she got to the party, she genuinely laughed.

 

" What is this game ? "

 

" It's a competition thingy they have... Nothing important Landon don't worry. "

 

Penelope felt a punch on her arm. "Hey ! It's very serious ! You should know, we've trained together after all. " 

 

Penelope looked at the girl, for a fraction of second she could really see how pretty she was tonight. She had put just enough make up so that her eyes would glow, she was dressed quite simply, with a dress, but it was enough for Penelope to have trouble staying focused. She managed to do it, but hardly.

 

" You're right, I'm sorry Jojo. ", it was the second time she appologized to the girl today, which was odd since she usually never did. Hope and even Landon noticed it, but the boy received an elbow in the ribbs by a certain tribrid the second he even thought of saying something about it.

 

" I'm thristy... We should go get drinks, come on Landon. ", the boy was a little confused but did not argue and followed her, while still trying to soothe the pain in his rib cage.

 

When their friends left, both girl fell into a silence. What were they supposed to say to each other after the way they had left things just a few hours ago ?

 

Surprisingly enough, Josie was the first to break the ice.

 

" So... Your girlfriend seems nice. ", she was lying, of course, but she wanted to stay cordial.

 

Penelope who was quietly sipping on her drink until then almost choked on it when she heard the g word.

 

" My what ? "

 

" Well, your girlfriend ? Some gorgeous redhead introduced herself to me earlier and- "

 

" Shit. You met Rachel. ", she did not even let Josie finish her sentence, she knew exactly who the girl was.

 

" Don't mind her... She has been obsessed with me since that one time we made out. She never accepted the fact that she just wasn't the one for me. ", she continued.

 

As soon as those words left her mouth, she realized this time she did find that one person, or she thought she did and she was standing right in front of her. Sadly, she was also the only one she could not have, even though Hope might try to say the contrary she knew she could not.

 

" Oh... ", one thought immediately invaded the brunette's brain : If a girl as pretty as her was not the one for the raven haired girl, she did not stand a chance. Not that she would take it if she could anyway, but it reinforced that idea.

 

" Don't worry about her and if she bothers you again, tell me and I'll go see her myself. "

 

" Thanks... And yeah, I lied, she wasn't that nice when we talked, well, more like when she basically threatened me. ", she laughed, feeling some relief in being able to tell the truth to Penelope.

 

" Yeah that's more like the Rachel I know. ", she chuckled too.

 

Their amusement was cut short when Josie felt a tap on her shoulder. Penelope's face straightened immediatley.

 

" Hey, Jo I thought I had lost you. "

 

" Oh hey, sorry I didn't want to bother you with your friends Raf. "

 

" It's alright, you know you never bother me. ", he smiled at her and handed a glass to her, "I brought you a drink. "

 

Penelope almost gagged at that lame line he just threw at her.

 

Josie accepted the glass politely and sipped at it in silence, hoping some miracle would get her out of here.

 

" I should go see what Hope and Landon are up too. "

 

" Wait ! Penelope, right ? ", the boy asked.

 

" Yup. "

 

" I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Landon, I was a little worried for him when he told me he would join your school, we'd never really been apart before that so... "

 

" No problem, I really like him, he's always there for his friends and I appreciate that. Don't tell him I said that though. ", she joked.

 

" Your secret is safe with me. ", he smiled at her.

 

" Welp... I should leave you two alone, it was nice finally meeting you Rafael, see you around Jojo. ", she left and Josie's heart broke a little, she did not want her to leave, at all.

 

Rafael asked Josie if she wanted to dace and since their small talks were not leading to anywhere, she accepted. While they started dancing, Penelope joined Hope who was coming back with drinks, turns out Landon had ditched her to go play beer pong with some vampires. She knew the poor boy did not stand a chance against them but she did not want to crush his hopes.

 

" You're not with Josie anymore ? ", she asked.

 

" Nah, wolf boy came and I didn't want to interrupt their date or whatever. "

 

" P I'm really sorry... "

 

" Don't be... It's not your fault. You tried to help but it's not like I had a chance to begin with. ", she took a sip of the drink she had just been handed by Hope.

 

" What ? I didn't do anything. "

 

Penelope raised an eyebrow at her, " So you just forgot you had to stay in to catch up classes, huh ? And it just happened to be when you invited Josie and I to do something, a couple days after I admitted my crush on her ? "

 

" Yeah. Exactly. ", she tried to deny.

 

" Hope. ", Penelope stared at her with knowing eyes.

 

" Alright, alright...Maybe I knew I couldn't make it and still invited you... "

 

" I knew it ! "

 

" But can you blame me, though ? Two of my closest friends have a crush on each other and won't do anything about it ! I had to do something... "

 

" One, those feelings are one sidded. Two, I know how to handle these things, if I really wanted her, I would have done something by now. And three, you should rather do something for you and blondie instead of avoiding her and setting up her sister with a girl she hate, don't you think ? "

 

Hope looked offended so she wasted no time to reply, " One, you should wear your glasses more often because I'm pretty sure everyone but you noticed the way she is looking at you, and the way she acts when you're around. Two, like hell you could. You're used to simple flings and people chasing after you, but when it comes to real feelings you're a mess. I'm pretty sure even I handle them better. And three, shut up, I need time to think, it's not easy. "

 

" It looks like she didn't take too long to get over me though. ", she said turning towards Josie and Rafael dancing. She seemed to have fun, and she wore her beautiful smile only it was not destined to her this time.

 

" Penelope... I thought you were smart. ", she sighed, "She is clearly using the poor guy to avoid you. Have you seen her face when he talks to her ? She'd clearly rather be anywhere but with him. "

 

" Yeah, whatever... ", she did not want to talk about Josie anymore, what Hope had just told her had just made her question everything between her and the brunette, she needed time to reflect on that.

 

" Also, you better not wait too long to talk to Lizzie... We only have a week left here and she doesn't stike me as the forgiving type. "

 

" I know... ", Hope sighed, " But it's my last chance to make it up to her, to explain why I did what I did, to tell her I love her and I'm sorry. I need to find the right words, you know ? I already tried improvising once and it was a complete failure. "

 

" You need to be honest and completly open with her, just tell her how you feel. Tell her what you kept telling me, about how you felt over the years. You don't need to complicate it too much, you know ? "

 

" It might be tough if she keeps being that breathtaking... ", she sighed while showing Penelope who just arrived to the party. Even Penelope could not argue with that, the girl had really put an effort on her outfit and make up, her red lips were mesmerizing.

 

" And I'm the mess ? You have some nerves Mikealson. "

 

 

* * *

 

 

Josie and Rafael had been dancing for a correct amount of time now so the girl decided she could leave him for a while and go greet her sister. The girl was waiting for her with her arms crossed and a proud smirk.

 

" So you've finally stopped making that boy suffer and accepted a date with him ? "

 

" I invited him ", she told her with a smile, she was glad to see her sister being back to teasing her and pushing her to accept dates with 'cute boys', it meant she was back to normal. She hoped she was at least.

 

" For real ? Damn Jo, you're finally ready to be a part of THE power couple of the school. I've always thought it would be me, no offence, but if I can't then I'm glad it's you. "

 

Josie did not argue with that, she knew coming from her sister it was actually a compliment. Moreover, she seemed so excited about that 'date', who was a total failure, that she did not have the heart to tell her she actually wanted to go home and avoid the boy long enough for him to forget about that night.

 

She was about to deflect the conversation when MG joined them. He invited them to play a drinking game, and even though Josie was not really in the mood for it, with MG and Lizzie by her side, she did not have much of a choice.

 

They followed him to the attic of the old mill and they both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw people sat in circle. It was not any people, most of them were familiar faces. Hope, Penelope, Landon, Jed, Rafael and Kaleb were there with some other people, probably from the Mikealson School since none of the twins recognized them.

 

Josie's heart started to race when she asked, " Wait, MG, what did you say the game was again ? "

 

" Oh yeah I forgot to say it sorry... We're gonna play spin the bottle. Don't worry though, if one of you gets the other one, you'll be allowed to spin it again. ", he tried to reassuere them, unaware that they had way more important things to worry about right now.

 

At that moment it was already too late to back down and the twins both thought the same thing while looking at the circle, 'I'm fucked.'

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it and you're ready for the next part ! I don't know when I'll update it I'm very busy these days and barely have time or motivation to write but I'll do my best. 
> 
> Also I love reading what you guys think of the story so far so don't hesitate to comment or leave kuddos (You don't have to but it'd be nice lol)
> 
> PS: I just realized it could be weird having the twins playing spin the bottle at the same time but don't worry I'm not into incest so let's just all ignore it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is probably the best chapter I've written yet, I'm lowkey proud of it so I hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> PS: (don't hate me pls)

Lizzie sat despite her urge to run as far as possible. She did her best to look as unbothered as possible but also to avoid Hope's look, and her sister's. She felt her eyes on her, she felt her need to 'protect' her from the situtation, but she was tired of that. She could handle things on her own. What had happened with Hope was her mess, she was the one who needed to deal with it, not her sister. She had done enough, she had spent enough time worrying and caring for her. She refused to run and hide behind her this time.

 

Josie on the other side, was torn between keeping worrying for her sister and worrying for herself. She did not miss the smile on Rafael face when he saw her, she also did not miss the raven haired girl's presence. The universe was clearly mad at her these days. Was it because she kept lying to everyone about how she felt ? Was it because it was tired of her bullshit and decided to make a move for her ? She would never know, she only knew she was there, at that moment, with all those people staring at her.

 

Jed was the first to go, the bottle landed on a random girl from his school and judging by his smile, he already knew her. They kissed for the 10 seconds that had been decided. After almost no time had passed, MG turned the bottle. He was sitting next to Josie who was sitting next to Lizzie. They were on the opposite side of Penelope, Rafael and Hope.

 

Everyone laughed when it landed on a confused Landon, it was his first time playing but he knew what he was supposed to do next. Both boys identified as straight but they knew it could be an option when they agreed to play so they went inside the circle to kiss. Everyone cheered them. The kiss was a little shy and certainly not the best either of them had received but it was already something.

 

Once it was done, all eyes were on Josie. It was her turn. She wanted to spell the bottle so it would land on a random person but there was not enough magic running through the old mill, and MG would notice if she syphoned from him. She was stuck. She had to trust the universe on that one, despite its horrible sense of humor. She spinned it. It turned around on itself for a few seconds until it started to slow down... Landon... Someone she did not know... The girl Jed had kissed... It started slowing down more... Another random guy... It started to stop... Rafael... It stopped. It stopped at the girl next to him. It stopped at Penelope.

 

'Fuck the universe', she thought. It was the last time she trusted it.

 

There was a short pause where everyone tensed up. Hope was either eager, either nervous, probably both... Even she did not know.

 

MG was happy to see if his theory would confirm, he knew Josie had denied it but he was still rooting for them.

 

Rafael was feeling a bit jealous, but he firgured he could wait for the next turn to get a kiss from the girl.

 

Lizzie was rolling her eyes, she was not too happy about her sister kissing the bitch she could not stand and that had been so mean to them, but it was the game. At least it was not her.

 

And Penelope, well she froze and gulped. What was she supposed to do ? She knew what she was supposed to do but could she ? Everyone's eyes were on her now. Josie looked hesitant as well but she was starting to approach. The raven ahired girl did the same.

 

Once they were in the center of the circle, everyone was staring at them expectently. Deep down, the girls were glad they could finally kiss the other one, they were both afraid because they knew it would not mean anything, but they were even more afraid of the fact that it could mean something, something they were both trying to avoid.

 

They slowly closed the gap between them and when their lips touched for the first time they knew. They knew it was right, they knew their lips were meant for eachother. They kissed slowly and tenderly, enjoying every second that passed, they were afraid it would be the only time they got to kiss, although denying the other's feelings was hard at this point, when that kiss replaced all the words they could have used to describe them, they still thought it was a possibility. But now, they did not care. That kiss was everything they could have dreamed of, and even more.

 

They were interrupted by a tap on Josie's shoulder that snapped them both out of the moment. They turned to see an embarrassed MG.

 

" Uhm, I told you the time was out but you apparently didn't hear me. ", he explained.

 

They had heard him, but his voice had only echoed from afar, he was not a part of the world they had created during those 10 seconds, well more than 10 seconds.

 

They went back to their original seat while everyone around was more or less speachless. Even Hope had not expected that, and Lizzie, well she could not believe her sister just had to endure such torture, and sure as hell did not want to believe she did not seem unhappy about it.

 

It was Lizzie's turn to spin the bottle now, and Josie was too shakened by what had just happened to realize where it landed, or to even pay attention to it. It was not until a silence fell in the room that she finally rose her head to see who her sister was supposed to kiss. And now she understood the weird atmosphere that had settled in. Hope Mikealson. Most of the people here did not know about their past and still, judging by the girls' reactions, they were able to guess it was not good. Everyone froze for a couple of seconds until Lizzie stood up and left the room in a hurry, without a word.

 

Everyone then stared at Hope, as if they waited for her to do something, or to say something, but instead she followed the blonde. She knew she was the last person Lizzie wanted to see at the moment, but she also knew she needed to talk to her. Now. She had waited enough and the situation had only became worse, there was no delaying now. She would talk to the girl, whether she liked it or not.

 

She had trouble catching up with her and she almost lost her in the crowd once they were outside but she managed to grab her hand when they arrived in a more isolated part of the woods, where they could only hear a faint sound of music.

 

" Lizzie ! Wait ! ", she called her but Lizzie only snatched her hand away from hers and walked faster.

 

" Please, stop ! ", she called again.

 

" Stop following me ! I thought I made it clear that I don't want anything to do with you ! ", since she was already a little tipsy, she had trouble keeping a straight face and you could see all the pain in her eyes.

 

" Yeah you don't. But I do. So please just stop and listen to me. Just this time and then you're free to go, I'll never bother you again if that's what you want, you'll never even hear from me. "

 

Lizzie stopped and thought about the proposition for a moment. Denying the girl a chance to explain as a form of punishment was tempting but she knew Hope would not let go that easily. So, she accepted. She was ready to accept anything if it meant she would finally be free from the girl.

 

" You have 5 minutes, and then I'm gone. "

 

Hope sighed in relief. " Thank you. ", she approached the girl slowly as if she was scared she would run again.

 

" First of all, I'm sorry. I know I already said it but you did not give me time to say why. I'm sorry for running away from you as if you were not the only one I actually needed by my side, I'm sorry that I didn't share my feelings as well as I should have and closed myself off, you deserved an explanation. ", she started.

 

" The truth is, I was not feeling myself and I had not for a long time until this ", she mentionned the two of them, " started. I was happy with you, truly, and it scared me. I felt like I didn't deserve it, how could I be happy when I had just became an orphan ? When my mom had just died and my dad had literally sacrificed himself for me ? "

 

Lizzie felt tears building up but she refused to show it. She knew Hope had lived terrible moments at that time but they never really discussed it, Hope had refused to open up at the time. Now, she finally was and even though it was too late, it felt good for Lizzie to know Hope was now able to share those emotions with her.

 

" I'm not trying to defend myself with the death of my parents, that wouldn't be fair nor would that be true. I'm the only one to blame here. I reacted selfishly. I thought you would be better off without me, I thought I was doing you a favor without even considering the pain it would cause you and I'm sorry for that. "

 

That last part made the blonde break, she shed a single tear that rolled down her cheek slowly. At first, she had not planned to actually listen to what the tribrid had to say but now she was carefully listenning every words that came out of her mouth.

 

" But you know what I'm the most sorry for ? I'm sorry for acting like you are not one of the most important person in my life, maybe even the most. ", Hope had not realized she had used the present tense until it came out of her mouth, but she did not regret it because even now, after all those years, it was true. " I'm sorry for never telling you I love you. Because I do, and it's killing me. I wish I didn't, I wish I could leave you be and spare you the burden that I am, but I can't. Everyting brings me back to you. The only way I could leave you for good is if you told me to. I know you already did, but I couldn't do that before telling you all of this. "

 

" I guess my time is up now, I can leave if you want me to. It's your choice. " , she finished.

 

At this point Lizzie could barely even think, Hope had just launched a massive bomb on her and she was torn between her pride and her feelings for the girl. There was a time when she had dreamt about hearing those words falling from the girl's mouth, and she thought it had been over for a long time. But hearing them now had more impact on her than anything Hope could have said or done. Hope loved her. Hope had suffered just as much as her during the past years. Hope was sorry, and she really meant it. She actually meant something to her.

 

She was unable to say a word, she need time to process everything, and Hope, who was still waiting for an answer, turned around and was about to leave. She thought that silence meant what she dreaded the girl would tell her, she thought it meant she would have to leave forever. So, she was doing just that, as promised.

 

She had already walked a few steps when she heard, " You know I love you too, right ? "

 

Hope turned around, not sure if she heard that right and stared at the girl in disblief, the blonde figured it was her turn to talk so she started.

 

" I mean, I tried not to and for a time I thought I didn't but you just had to come here again and obviously what I did to forget you wasn't enough. ", she approached her.

 

" So what does it mean ? ", Hope asked carefully.

 

" I don't know... But I'm tired of being mad at you and besides, it's clearly not even working. "

 

" So what now ? Do you want me to leave or... ? "

 

Lizzie rolled her eyes at how dumb the question was and grabbed Hope by the back of her neck to pull her into a kiss. She was tired of talking and she did not want to hear another word. She did not know what it meant for them, she was still slightly intoxicated anyway so she figured it would be an issue for future her. Right now, she wanted to kiss the girl.

 

" Wait, are you sure ? ", Hope asked between kisses.

 

" Yes, now shut up and kiss me before I change my mind. "

 

Hope obligated, she was so happy to finally taste her lips again that she did not try to argue anymore, Lizzie was a grown girl and she was capable of making her own choices.

 

Their make out session started to get heated and as Lizzie was unboutoning Hope's shirt, she asked her if she wanted to go somewhere more private. Of course the blonde accepted so they hurried back at the school.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Back at the party, Rafael and Josie were sitting in a quiet part of the old mill. They had stopped the game after Lizzie's departure and now everyone was back at being scattered all over the place. After their kiss, Penelope and the taller girl had avoided each other, they had not even exchanged a word and they were not counting on it. They needed time by themselves first.

 

The boy and the girl were having a good time and Josie had noticed his advances but she ignored them. She thought if she ignored them enough he would let it go, only the boy was already drunk at this point so he did not. By chance, he was not being too pushy so it was managable for the brunette.

 

" Josie, I gotta tell you something. ", he suddenly stopped laughing at one of her jokes to become much more serious.

 

" Yeah ? "

 

" It's not easy for me to say, but since we're here and you invited me as your date, I guess this is my chance. ", Josie was already afraid of what he would say, she knew what it was and she did not want to deal with it now.

 

" Josie. I have feelings for you, and I've had them for a long time now. You're amazing, you're smart and funny and beautiful... Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you wanna go to a real date with me ? Like dinner and all ? "

 

Oh boy. He did it.

 

" Listen Raf, you're a great friend and I really like spending time with you but I don't think us dating would be a good idea. Besides, I already have a lot of things I gotta deal with on my own, I'm really not ready to date anyone yet. I'm sorry. "

 

The boy seemed disappointed but luckily, he understood. He asked to give her a hug and left a kiss on her cheek before joining Landon. Josie did not see that it was at this exact moment that Penelope chose to look at her.

 

It had been a tough night for the raven haired girl, first having to see her with him, then kissing her and feeling so incredible and finally, seeing her going back to him and back at ignoring her. Without mentionning that Hope was gone and had still not answered her texts. She had been worried for her ever since that bottle landed on her, and it was worse now that she was gone God knows where. For all she knew, Lizzie Saltzman could have murdered her already.

 

Just as she thought her night could not get worse, she heard a voice she knew too well behind her.

 

" They look cute together, don't they ? ", Rachel said, mentionning Rafael and Josie's hug.

 

" What do you want ? ", she rolled her eyes at her.

 

" You already know I only want you Pen, besides, it's not like she is interested or something. "

 

" Oh, yeah she told you that before or after you threatened her, you fucking psycho ? "

 

" No need to get mad, I did that for us Penny. Even if you don't see it right now. ", she said as she was getting close to her.

 

" It's Penelope to you. Now leave me alone please. "

 

Rachel did not argue and did as she was told, leaving Penelope with her thoughts once again. Only it wasn't just her thoughts, it was also with the big amount of alcohol available at the party. She had not only a heartbreaker reputation at her school, she also had a reputation for partying a lot. She had a bad habit of drowning her sorrows in alcohol and getting wasted when she was upset. Hope had helped her a lot with that issue and she knew there were healthier ways to cope but at the moment, she was alone and it seemed like the only solution.

 

So, as expected, she drank, and drank again until she was really drunk and considering she had a high tolerance to alcohol, it was something.

 

She had avoided everyone, even Landon and she thought she made it clear she wanted to be alone. The raven haired girl was sitting on some stairs behind the old mill with a bottle of whiskey when she recognized a familiar face standing before her.

 

" I thought I told you to leave. ", she told Rachel, she was way calmer than before, probably because of the alcohol and the tiredness.

 

" You seemed alone and sad so I thought I would keep you company ", she said while sitting beside her, "besides, since when do I actually listen to you ? "

 

Penelope chuckled, "You really are a pain in the ass, you know that ? ".

 

She had a nicer tone with her now. The truth was, she actually liked the girl. Before Rachel had developped a crush on her, they were friends and she always had had sympathy for her. Rachel just became too much at some point and that drew them appart, but Penelope still had a soft spot for her. She was crazy, sure, but she was also funny, smart and, let us not forget, very hot. She just was not it for Penelope, romantically speaking at least.

 

" Yeah but you love it. "

 

" You wish. ", she scoffed.

 

" Maybe. ", her tone suddenly became serious and Penelope turned to watch her. She was closer than expected. She smelled good and her face was so pretty. It became hard for drunk Penelope to focus. She tried to find reasons not to kiss her. One, it was Rachel, she would regret it. Two, she was drunk she should not take these kind of decisions right now. Three, Hope would kick her ass if she did, she never liked the red head. Four, she was into Josie now, kissing Rachel would not be anything like what she had felt earlier. Those reasons were good enough. She could not kiss her.

 

However, she could not stop her brain to bring counter arguments to what had now became an internal debate. One, it was Rachel, she was hot and into her. Two, she was drunk, she could blame it on the alcohol later. Three, Hope was not there. Four, she was into Josie, but Josie was not into her, she had made that very clear despite what Hope could tell her and even if she was, she clearly did not want to, so, that would not lead to anything good for her. And five, she was horny as hell.

 

Her brain came up with more pros than cons and she was not about to argue with them. So, without a warning. She kissed the red head. The later was surprised at first, she had been so sure that she was the last person Penelope would kiss, especially after tonight, but she wasted no time in kissing back. It was what she had wanted for months and she would not let that chance go. Rachel knew it meant nothing, it was clear, but she thought she would enjoy it while it lasted.

 

Penelope quickly deepened the kiss and started toying with the end of the other girl's skirt. She was clearly in control here and she loved it. She felt the red head smile through their kiss while she felt absolutely nothing but lust. She just needed a release. Penelope started to grab her thigh when they heard someone behind them.

 

" Oh shit I'm so sorry. ", the figure apalogized awkwardly in the dark, due to the lack of lightning she did not recognize who it was right away.

 

" It's alright we were gonna move anyway. ", Penelope stated, without really looking at the girl.

 

The girl who had walked on them still had her eyes cover by her hands until she heard the familiar voice, " Penelope ? ", she looked closer and recognized the other figure, " and Rachel ? ". This time her voice seemed confused, even hurt.

 

That's when it hit her. The girl standing there was Josie. Shit.

 

She quickly turned to face her, as if she wanted to explain the situation to her, she felt like she had just cheated on her. At least that is what the brunette's voice made it seem like.

 

" Oh, Josie... Hi. ", was all she managed to say.

 

" I'll, huh, leave you two to it. "

 

" Wait ! ", Rachel finally spoke, " I think it's best if I go. "

 

And she did so. Leaving the two girls there, in an awkward silence. Josie, who could not figure out why she had not left yet, spoke first. 

 

" So you and Rachel are a thing after all ? "

 

" No not really... She was just... Availabe. "

 

" Oh... But didn't you say she 'wasn't the one for you', though ? "

 

" Yeah, maybe. But she's a good kisser and I'm obviously really drunk. "

 

" So if I hadn't walked in on you, you would have- "

 

" Listen Josie, why are you asking me all of these questions ? Why do you care what I do at parties ? You obviously didn't all night so why now that I was finally having some fun ? ", it came out harsher than intended.

 

" I don't care. ", she said while quietly sitting next to her.

 

" Good then. "

 

They sat there in silence for almost five minute until Penelope started again, " You have some nerves though... Showing up here and questionning me as if you were jealous, like you didn't spend your entire night with your new boyfriend. "

 

Josie was not expecting that, Penelope had just spat that like she was supposed to feel guitly about something.

 

" Excuse me ? At least I'm not jumping on him just because I'm upset. "

 

" What's that supposed to mean ? "

 

" That you apparently threw yourself at her just because you were jealous. "

 

" Of what ? Of him ? Please get off you high horse you're not that special. ", Penelope scoffed.

 

That was a low blow. Also a complete lie but at that moment she was feeling so angry she just wanted to hurt the girl by her side.

 

" I see you're finally showing you're real face. You may have been nice to me for whatever reasons lately but at the end of the day you're still that selfish, obnoxious, evil bitch you always were. "

 

As the argument started to grow, both girls got teary eyes that the other could not see but they were both too proud to deescalate the fight. Even if it was hurting them like hell, they needed to finally let go of all that frustration that had been building up, especially Penelope who had lost all her filters at this point.

 

" And you're still the biggest hypocrite I know. Even to yourself. I didn't want to believe Hope but now I think she was right, you're just too much of a coward to accept it. "

 

" About what ? "

 

" About your feelings towards me. "

 

" You're delusional. I could never- "

 

" -fall for 'someone like me', yeah I know. I heard you the first time. I was behind you and MG in the hallway. And I believed it. Until now. Because there is no way you're not feeling the same as me after the way you kissed me at that game, I know you felt it too, there is no way you suddenly acted all jealous after seeing me with Rachel if you didn't feel anything. And maybe I'm going a little ahead of myself but I'm also sure you would not have come with Rafael tonight without that moment we shared at the pool. I know you invited him right after that, I heard him brag about it earlier. So, Josie, call me a bitch all you want, but at least I'm not an hypocrite and a coward. "

 

That left Josie speechless. What was she supposed to say to that ? She knew it was true, but she could not say it. Especially during the fight they were having.

 

" Oh here you are guys ! We've been looking for you, do you wanna play beer pong ? ", Landon proposed with MG by his side.

 

" Sorry Lan, no more games tonight, I'm going to bed. ", Penelope said before leaving Josie, Landon and MG.

 

Josie was not in the mood either so she left shorlty after that too, with a creepling feeling of guilt. She thought she had been subtle, she thought she would get out of that situation wihtout hurting anyone or without being hurt. But apparently she had been wrong. Maybe all that denying was not the solution. She knew it was not fair to Penelope, even if she did not want the all world to know maybe she should have been honest with her at least.

 

She had not appreciated the way she had been called out but the raven haired girl was right. Now, it probably did not matter anymore anyway, she had ruined it. It was also at that moment that Josie realized hiding her feelings had been wrong not only because of that, but also because she wanted her. She did not want those feelings to stop, she wanted to act on them, to spend time with the girl and to ba able to kiss her. Although at the moment it did not seem like an option, she would work on it. She owed Penelope that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... What did you think ? Were you expecting that ? I would really love feedback on that one guys because I'm happy with the chapter but I want to know if you are :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is just a little filler chapter to tell y'all I'm still alive. I had a crazy month and now I just started uni so I don't really have time to write at the moment but I'm here lol.

Josie was woken up by her sister. She found Lizzie apparently getting up from her bed and she felt immediately relieved. Finding their bedroom empty a few hours before had seriously worried her since she had been so sure she would find the blonde already asleep there. She was happy her sister was okay but it did not stop the feeling of sickness invading her body, both because of the alcohol and the realization of what had happened with Penelope. How was she supposed to make it up to her ?

" Did I wake you up ? ", Lizzie asked.

" Kinda... But it's alright I can't stay in bed today anyway. "

" Ohh, do you have plans with Raf ? ", she suggested while wiggling her eyebrows.

" What ?? No, I think it's better if we just stay friends. ", the whole story with Rafael seemed so distant now, so vaine, she had almost forgot it.

" Then what are your plans ? "

" It's nothing much don't worry... "

" That's a lie, I can tell Jo. ", she was right, but Josie's plan only involved thinking about what to do to get Penelope to talk to her or at least look at her, and according to the way they had left things, it would not be that easy.

" It's really not important, I swear. ", it was but she did not want to worry her sister.

" Are you seeing someone else than Raf ? "

" No ! ", she immediately defended herself, but then she remembered what Penlope had told her and she knew she needed to stop being a coward, " Well, it's not 'seeing' and it's complicated... But I can't tell you at the moment, alright ? "

" I knew it ! Come on, tell me who it is ! Don't force me to use the twin's code... ", it was just a silly thing they had created when they were younger but they had been so serious about it at the time that some aspects had stuck, like the part where they had to share some things if one of them decided to use the code.

" You wouldn't... "

" Oh but I would, so tell me ! "

" I swear I will, but not now, please... "

" But- "

" No buts, now it's my time to question you, for example: Where were you last night ? And what happened after you left the old mill ? ", she took a more serious tone.

Now Lizzie had lost all of her previous entousiasm, 

" I just... Went on a walk... "

" And... ? "

" Hope and I have talked, for real this time. It was painful, I'm not gonna lie, but I think we've made progress... Alcohol helped, no doubt on that but yeah. I guess we're talking now. ", and sleeping together, she thought, but her sister did not need to know that. Her feelings toward Hope were still confused, she was not hating her anymore, not that she ever truly did, but getting back to what they used to be would take time. They needed to rebuilt some lost trust. They had not even talked about what it meant, it is not like Lizzie had given Hope any time to ask anyway, she had pratically ran out of her room afterwards.

" Oh... That's great Lizzie ! Are you okay, though ? Do you want to talk about it ? "

" Not really, but thanks Jo... I think I did enough talking last night. I'll just see how it goes I guess. " , she finally said.

-

In the room next door, Penelope woke up after Hope, and probably after the whole school. She was feeling awful. It had been a while since she had drank that much and it took her some time to recall everything that had happened the night before, except for her fight with Josie. She had that clearly in mind. She could still see Josie's pleading eyes when she left and she could still feel all of the anger, the hurt and the jealousy she had felt.

" Good morning sunshine ! ", said Hope way too enthousiastically as she opened the shutters, letting all the sunlight enter and illuminate the room, and Penelope's face. The later winced in pain as she tried to hide under the covers. She hated Hope's horrible habit of making her hungover life way harder than it already was. It was some kind of punishment for whenever the tribrid judged her friend had drank too much, or for bad reasons.

" Ugh... I hate you. "

" I know. ", she said with a proud smile, " But I've brought coffee to buy your love, don't worry. ", she said as she handed her a cup.

The raven haired girl growled some more before rising out of the covers and grabbing the cup reluctantly.

Apparently, Hope had slipped some magical herbs in it, because when she finished the cup, her hungover was gone. The perks of being a witch, she thought. Penelope was glad she did not let her suffer to teach her a lesson this time, she was already hurt enough as it was.

The two friends just sat in the room for a while, small talking, until Penelope had enough.

" So... Are we gonna talk about the fact that the blonde version of Rachel Berry literally crashed on me while in the middle of a not so discreet walk of shame that clearly started in our room ? Without mentionning that oh so famous sex smell I recognized when I came in ? ", she asked.

Hope looked like a deer caught in the headlight. She thought no one knew, it still felt so unreal to her, but now Penelope apparently knew, and she would have some explaining to do.

" I... I didn't think you knew... Well, let's just say we've talked last night and I don't know where we stand now but she doesn't hate me anymore and that's enough for me. "

" Come on... We all know you didn't just 'talk'... ", Penelope smirked devilishly.

" You caught us... I get it. You perv ! Yeah we did it and it was amazing if you must know. ", Hope told her before she made another not so smooth allusion. "But please, you can't tell anyone, alright ? Not even Josie. I'm not even sure if Lizzie is gonna talk to me again or if last night was just a drunk mistake... ", the poor girl looked defeated, she had acted all tough the night before when she told Lizzie she would leave if the girl wanted her to, but deep down, she knew it would destroy her even more than she already was.

" You know I would never... And it's not like I will tell anything to Josie anytime soon anyway. ", she sighed, suddenly all traces of previous amusement had been lost. Hope noticed right away.

" What happened ? "

" Let's just say I got tired of her craps and told her... "

" You mean you told her... ? ", Hope was genuinely not sure if her friend was talking about calling her out or declaring her feelings. When she was drunk, Penelope was able to do a lot, and say even more.

" I told her everything, Hope. I told her I knew she had feelings for me, and I told her I had them to. And as usual she tried to deny it, but I couldn't take it anymore, so we had a fight and let's just say that's the reason I left the party early. "

" She really left you no choice, huh ? "

The raven haired girl ironically chuckled, " I guess that's one way to say it. "

Penelope was usually very quick on forgiving people. Usually. Except, this time felt different, she would not just forgive and forget what had happened and what had been said. This time she was hurt, for real. 

" Come on... Don't look so bumped ! ", Hope suddenly said while getting up.

" Look who's talking. "

" Ha ha, very funny Miss Park. ", she joked, " Now get up we're going to the fair. "

" First of all it's still the morning it won't be open, and second of all, the fair ?! "

" You do know it's almost 4 p.m, right ? And yes the fair, you already have a ticket and it'll be fun ! It will take our minds off the Saltzman twins... "

" Who said I needed to take my mind off anything. I don't care enough for that. ", she tried to play tough.

" Oh please... ", Hope said while rolling her eyes. She did not let Penelope an other chance to complain and grabbed her by the wrist to lift her up. They were going, wether she liked it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for 10k hits, it's really crazy ! I hope you still enjoy the story and even though I will try to update as soon as possible next chapter, I can't make any promises especially now but I will do my best :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy so I'm back with smaller chapters now because otherwise I would lit rally never have time to update or even write so I hope you enjoy this one !

As it turns out, Lizzie had managed to convince Josie to at least go eat something before going to her mysterious plans. Both of them did not want to elaborate on what they had learnt from each other earlier on, they respected the other's choice to stay silent but above all, they feared they would need to talk about it and let something slip.

 

They had bumped into MG and Landon who seemed now inseparable, and into Rafael who had had a hard time looking Josie in the eyes. He would need time but that was okay and she knew eventually their friendship would go back to the way it was. Everyone seemed to have had a difficult morning to say the least. You could see most of the students wearing sunglasses, and an emptiness in the corridors which was unusual for that time of the day. They were lucky the match was only at the end of the week or else no one would have been able to throw a single ball properly, not even the vampires.

 

On their way back to their rooms the twins saw their dad and after a small talk, Alaric told them, " Oh and I almost forgot, today is the last day you can go to the fair, they're packing up tomorrow. Could you tell Penelope too ? I wouldn't want those tickets to be wasted. "

 

" Yeah no problem, we'll tell her on our way back to our room. ", Lizzie casually said.

 

They were both unaware of the fact that Josie stiffened at the mention of a certain green eyed girl. Lizzie lead the way to their new direction and noticed Josie was being quiet, but she assumed it was just her headache coming back.

 

" I'll let you deal with it since Satan is your new bff. ", Lizzie simply told her, she had noticed them becoming closer and even laughing together in class but she did not made any comments since she had been to busy avoiding Hope all week. And more importantly, Lizzie did not really want to face her after that interraction in the hallway the night before, she knew Penelope had noticed her walking out of their room, it would have been hard not to though, she basically crashed on her. She knew Penelope knew what had happened between her and Hope and she was sure Hope had told her about it, maybe not willingly but the raven haired girl had her ways, she had no doubt on that. Satan always finds a way.

 

Josie started to freak out, she needed to find a way out of this and fast.

 

" Huh, I think I need to puke. ", she said while putting her hand to her mouth and rushing to the bathroom. At least she knew Lizzie would not insist now, or ask questions.

 

She enter in one of the stalls and sat on the toilet. She contemplaited her choices and thought about what she would do next. She could not go to the fair with Penelope, even if she wanted to, she doubted the raven haired girl would even consider it. Maybe Lizzie could take her place ? Maybe she could just go back to her bed and pretend this day did not happen ? It is not like she could actually find a plan to get Penelope to talk to her with her sister by her side all day anyway.

 

She did not get more time to lose herself in her thoughts any more since Lizzie enterred the bathroom and called her, " Hey, are you okay ? "

 

" Oh, hum, yeah. Yeah I am. False alarm. ", Josie answered as she got out of the stall.

 

" Great, because we're going to the fair. "

 

" I'm sorry, we what ?? "

 

" Well, you see, I knocked on their door and no one answered so I decided that we should go together instead. A little quality time with your favorite twin wouldn't hurt, would it ? "

 

" I guess not... It's not like I have a say in this anyway, right ? "

 

" You really are smart. ", Lizzie looked proudly at her.

 

Going to the fair was the last thing Josie wanted to do but she knew that once her sister had an idea, it was impossible to say no. So, she went along with it and within 30 minutes, they were ready to go. Usually it would take Lizzie much more time to prepare but she was really excited about this so she wasted no time, which you can guess, had filled Josie with joy.

 

Lizzie had always liked going to the fair and this year she had not had time to go so this was a perfect occasion and it would allow her to take her mind off certain things for a while. It had always been a place where she could just relax and enjoy herself, her parents even used to take her there when she would have her first episodes, to cheer her up a little. Things were simpler back then.

 

* * *

 

 

When they arrived, the place was crowded, as you can imagine. But Lizzie was happy nonetheless. Josie was starting to warm up to the idea too but she could not help her infamous pouty face getting in the way of showing it. The blonde immediately spotted her favorite ride : The ferris wheel. Her sister did too and she knew that look. It was a 10 years old seeing an ice cream truck type of look, the one you could not argue with. Unfortunately, Josie was not doing so good with heights so she separated from her sister declaring she would go buy some junk food for the both of them.

 

She found a stand near the ferris wheel where she could buy some donuts, she ordered two and hurried to get out of the way of potential new customers. She had always hated taking too much time putting her change back in her wallet so she would rather take everything with her and put it back in place somewhere where she would not bother anyone. She was almost done when she dropped one coin.

 

" Shit ", she muttered to herself.

 

It was getting dark so she had trouble spotting the coin, she was crouched looking for it without much success when she saw a girl reaching for it before her.

 

" Here. ", the stranger said while giving it back to her.

 

Josie did not even realize she knew that voice far too well, she looked up while saying thank you to this stranger and their eyes met.

 

" Penelope ? "

 

" Josie ? ", the raven haired girl looked as confused as she was.

 

" Wh- What are youd doing here ? ", they were both standing up now.

 

" I got dragged here by Hope… Plus I still had that ticket we won so… ", Penelope looked uncomfortable, Josie could tell she would rather be anywhere but near her at the moment but she was still happy to see her.

 

" Oh… That's good. "

 

" Yeah… Anyway, I should go, Hope is probably wainting for me.", she said abruptly.

 

" Yeah. Me too… But it was nice seeing you. ", she tried.

 

" I'm sure it was. ", Penelope finally said before leaving, Josie had never heard so much sarcasm in so little words and Lizzie was her twin, it said a lot about the girl's feelings toward her.

 

The brunette walked back to the ferris wheel sadly. She was too busy looking at the ground and being lost in her thoughts to realize she was basically following the raven haired girl. She finally did when she saw her stop a few feet before her. She was obviously waiting for Hope.

 

And that's when she realized. If Penelope was waiting for Hope before the ferris wheel, and Josie was waiting for Lizzie there too...

 

Could it be that her sister was stuck with Hope ? AKA the one girl she should absolutely not be stuck with at the moment ?

 

She asked herself that as she looked up and immediately spotted her. She was not alone, though. It seemed like a smaller red head was by her side.

 

Josie froze. It could not be good. She knew they were on speaking terms again but did it mean that Lizzie would handle well being stuck up there ? Or that Hope would ? She glanced at Penelope to see if she had noticed and to her surprise, she was wearing a huge smirk on her face while looking straight at them, like she did not want to miss any bits of the show.

 

Josie could not help but think that seeing Lizzie struggle like that amused her. Penelope had never been a fan of hers and she sure as heck never hid it but could she go that low ? Could she actually make fun of her when she was in that kind of situtation ? Stuck with the girl who broke her like that. And could she have absolutely no regards toward her best friend's feelings, knowing it broke her too ? She did not know. However, she knew the girl she had come to grow feelings for was better than that, she had to be. Penelope was far from the monster Lizzie and her used to picture, but deep down she was still afraid a part of what they had imagined was true.

 

Little did she know, Penelope was only smirking because she still had the image of Lizzie's walk of shame vividly encred in her head. She was simply finding amusing the way fate was working, both girls who absolutely wanted to avoid each other were literally stuck together, what was not to find funny ?

 

Ironically enough, she had failed to realize Lizzie and Hope were not the only ones fate was reuniting on this evening. Or maybe she simply ignored it. Maybe denial was enough to cover the pain Josie had caused her. She had got tired of looking for signs of destiny concerning her. Maybe she had just given up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and as always comments are appreciated, you can also contact me on twitter (or tumblr) @gayandnaps , or you can just follow me and my posie breakdowns that's fine too.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in time for the premiere ! Some hizzie angst/fluff for you ;)

Lizzie had agreed to let go of Josie while she bought some snacks. She knew she could not escape now that she was already there. Although she really wondered what was going through her twin’s mind. She had never seen her act like this, she was acting so secretive… The blonde did not like it but she knew she could not blame her since she was basically doing the same.

 

" Excuse me ? You’re coming or not ? ", the man who was in charge of the ferris wheel bursted her bubble. She had not realized how lost in her thoughts she had been.

 

" Yeah, sure. Sorry. ", she apologized. Something was definetly off, since when did she apologize like that ? That was Josie’s thing, not hers.

 

She sat quickly and when the man was about to close the security barrier, his collegue called for him.

 

" Can you make some room in this one for this young lady ? "

 

" Yeah sure. "

 

Great… Lizzie thought, now I’m gonna be stuck with a stranger in there.

 

She regretted that thought the second she saw her. She saw those stupid beautiful blue eyes, this infuriating smile that used to make her own twice as big and this gorgeous body… She hated that she loved all of those things, and so much more about the girl approaching her.

 

It was to late to run now.

 

She saw the shift in Hope’s behavior when their eyes met. Apparently, she was not expecting her to be there too.

 

It looked like they would be having a hell of a ride.

 

Technically, they had made up. They were on good terms. But sleeping together right after a discussion as tense as the one they had had might have been a mistake. Both of them were confused. Where were they standing now ?

 

They were not dating, nor were they friends. Not exactly at least. They never really had been to begin with, even when they were children, Hope had always loved Lizzie a little extra, and Lizzie had too. They still did.

 

"Hey.", Hope awkwardly smiled at her while she sat next to her. She made a mental note to stop making fun of Penelope’s turtle face since she was doing that exact same face at the moment.

 

"Hi…", Lizzie barely looked at her.

 

"So… How are you since this morning ? Or night, I don’t even know.", she was a nervous wreck and it showed. Hope was not used to being so vulerable around someone, she had done a good job hiding it for all those years. But this was not an option anymore. She had to show Lizzie she had changed, she would not let things go back to the way they were just a few days ago. Even if it meant going through uncomfortable moments. She had been through so much worse. Being stuck with the girl who literally ran from her room the night before could not be that bad.

 

It was.

 

It really was.

 

5 minutes later, Hope’s attempts of small talks had all been deflected by the taller girl who was pretending to admire the view and ignored her.

 

" Lizzie, please, say something. ", Hop finally gave up.

 

" I don’t really have anything to say. "

 

" You ? Not having anything to say ? That’s a first. ", she scoffed. Lizzie ignored her one more time, she would not let Hope win this, there was no way she would get her to talk by getting on her nerves.

 

Hope was getting tired. She had tried everything to get her to talk but nothing really came out. So, she decided to step up her game. She would give Lizzie exactly what she wanted. A chance to admire the view.

 

She whispered indistinctly some latin sentence, Lizzie turned to her when she heard it and stared at her with wide eyes. At least now she was looking at her.

 

" What have you done ? Why are we not moving ?? ", she asked a little panicked.

 

" I thought you liked the view ? I gave you a chance to admire it more in details. "

 

" Hope, you fucking stopped time ?! ", she was becoming angrier by the second. She clearly saw that no one below them was moving, everything had stopped. Literally.

 

" So what if I did ? ", she challenged.

 

" You can’t use a spell that powerful in public ! What are they even teaching you back to your school ?! That’s like our number one rule : don’t let the humans see you. "

 

" I know your dad teaches you to be scared, and you’re doing a great job at it. Look at you, scared of humans, of me, of your feelings. When will you stop being scared Lizzie ? I thought we were past this ?! ", Hope snapped.

 

" Oh yeah right Hope, because you’re a fucking example, huh ? You think a single conversation when we were drunk and a meaningless hookup with you will do the trick ? You think all the hurt you’ve inflicted me is gone ? Well it’s still fucking here, alright ? You’re right I’m scared as fuck. I’m scared because no matter what you do, I know I’ll still come back to you. But I also know that I have no way of telling if you’re gonna stay for good or just abandon me again. "

 

" Lizzie I- "

 

" No Hope. Don’t say anything because the sad truth is you don’t know either. I know you don’t want to. I know you love me. But I’m not sure that’s enough. So, yeah I'm being distant. Because, honestly, the last thing I want is giving you another chance to hurt me. "

 

" I’m so sorry, Lizzie. ", Hope told her with teary eyes.

 

" I know. ", she answered a little more calmly.

 

After that, they stayed put for at least 10 minutes, just thinking. There was no point in arguing any more. Lizzie was scared. Hope was too. Only time would heal them, and even though it was still rocky between them, at least they had found their way back to each other.

 

" I’ve always loved that view. "

 

" Me too. ", Lizzie said mindlessly.

 

" I remember how I used to watch it everytime I could, and taking my eyes off it was the most diffcult thing ever. Right from the first time I say that view, I knew. "

 

The blonde was intrigued so she turned to Hope and then it hit her. Hope was watching her. She was talking about her.

 

" I knew you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You’re my soulmate Lizzie. And I will do everything to get you back. I know you probably don’t want to talk about it but last night, but it was the best night I’ve had in years. Having you by my side when I fall asleep, that’s what I really want, more than anything in the world. I’m in love with you and I’ve always been. And I don’t want to force anything on you so just know that I’ll be waiting for you, for as long as it take. "

 

At this point Lizzie was literally drowning in her eyes, her heart was beating fast and her self control was long gone so she leaned in, and closed the gap between their lips. To Hope’s surprise, but the smaller girl didn’t fight it. To her disappointment, the blonde only pecked her lips lightly before saying " Maybe someday you and I will wake up in the same bed again, in our own house and you’ll cook your amazing pancakes for me. "

 

And with that she returned to her original position, and watched the view again, with a peaceful smile on her face.

 

" So, you’re saying maybe someday ? "

 

" Is that good enough for you ? "

 

" Yes Lizzie. That’s good enough for me. ", she suddenly felt the wheel turning again and stared at Lizzie in shock. She was still looking before her but Hope understood by that smirk of hers that she had used the kiss to syphon magic from her, and if she was being honest, she did not mind at all. The girl could still as much magic from her as she wanted.

 

Sadly, it was time for them to go back to reality, to the present. They did not know what the future had in store for them but at least, they had got that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't promise anything for the next update uni is really killing me but thank you all for reading, as usual I'll do my best for the next update ! Don't forget to leave a comment I always love reading them, I also take suggestions/things you'd want to see happen.
> 
> Until next time ;)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It involves the beginning of an unexpected friendship...

Lizzie saw Penelope first when they landed. Hope joined her quickly, and shot a last look at the blonde before getting lost in the crowd with her friend. Then, she spotted her sister a few feet away, she seemed so interested in her phone that she had not seen her yet. That was very unlike Josie though, the girl usually barely went on her phone, she ‘prefered the real world’.

 

" Hey, I’m surprised you weren’t with your new evil bff. "

 

" Penelope ? I didn’t see her. And, she is not my best friend… ", that first part was a lie, obviously. But unlike Penelope, she had not seen Lizzie approach her.

 

" Did you have a fight ? Because last time I checked, you two were really hitting it off. Did she try to suck your soul out of your body ?? ", she asked as they started walking.

 

" Lizzie please let it go. Nothing happened, alright ? ", Josie started accelerating even though she had no idea where they would go next.

 

" Mhm, sure Jo… "

 

" Why do you even care ? Aren’t you supposed to hate her ? "

 

" I’m just worried about you, that’s all…"

 

" Well don’t. I told you I’m fine. ", they walked for a few second in silence before she continued, " You know what, you won, have fun all alone. ", and with that she turned and left her sister alone, without letting her time to ask anything else. She immediatly regretted it but it was too late, she needed to walk on her own to cool off a little.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Here Lizzie was, wandering alone in this fair, on this night which had turned in an unespected and regretful twist. Just when she thought her night could not get worse, she felt someone grab her shoulder from behind. She turned and was met by the devil in person. She immediately moved Penelope’s hand away from her as if the girl was infected and looked at her in disgust.

 

" What are YOU doing here ? And please never touch me again, I know it’s your way of sucking souls. "

 

" Relax Saltzman I just wanted to ask if you’ve seen Hope. "

 

" Well I have not. You can go now, Satan. ", Penelope just rolled her eyes and turned around but at that moment an idea went through Lizzie’s mind. Her sister would not tell her what happened, but maybe she-who-shall-not-be-named would… It was a long shot but she was desperate at this point.

 

" Hey, wait ! ", she caught up.

 

" I thought you didn’t want me to touch you ? ", the raven haired girl raised an eyebrow and looked at Lizzie’s hand grabbing her arm.

 

" Right… ", she released her.

 

" So…? "

 

" Yeah, right. What happened between you and my sister ? Did you do something to her ? "

 

Penelope let out a loud scoff, " Nothing happened, and if it had, I sure as hell would not be the responsible. "

 

" So something did happen, huh ? "

 

" Listen, you should ask your sister about it if you think something is wrong with her, not me. And I told you nothing happened. "

 

" So you two are totally fine, huh ? "

 

" Yup ", she popped the p.

 

" Then why weren’t you with her when you waited for Hope in front of the ferris wheel ? "

 

" I didn’t see her. "

 

" Funny… She told me the same. "

 

" Maybe because it’s true ? Enough with the questions now please. "

 

" I know you’re hiding something. "

 

" Well I know one of you stopped time when you were up there, yet I didn’t mention it so maybe you should try to do the same and mind your own business ? ", she snapped.

 

" How… How do you know ? ", Lizzie was a little taken aback.

 

" Well I don’t know what they teach you at the Salvatore School, but every witches from the Mikealson School knows how to sense when a spell is used, especially when it’s a spell as powerful as this one. You two must have had a hell of a moment, huh ? "

 

" We can do that too, don’t worry for us. I just thought Hope had clocked it or something since Josie did not ask about it… "

 

" Well maybe if she had not been so busy with her phone she would have had… ", and then she realized. She had given Lizzie exactly what she wanted… A proof.

 

She saw the smirk forming on Lizzie’s lips, and before the blonde could say anything, she chose to leave, but the other girl had another plan, so she followed her.

 

Penelope tried to go faster than her to lose her but she was determined. When, they reached the outside of tthe fair, the raven haired girl sat on a bench, hidden fromthe public and got something out of her bag. At first Lizzie could not decipher what it was but she sat with her out of curiosity. It did not take her long to understand though, when Penelope started to use her lighter and brought the joint to her lips. She knew it was not a normal cigarette, she had never seen the girl smoke before and it definitely did not smell the same.

 

" You know, you can really be obstinate sometimes… ", Penelope sighed before puffing out some smoke.

 

" I didn’t know you smoked. "

 

" Yeah, well sometimes… It helps taking the edge off. ", she hesitated a few seconds before asking, " You want some ? No offence but it looks you’ve had a rough day too. "

 

" I guess I was just naive to think I could avoid her forever, continue living my life like she never existed in the first place… ", she said as she took what Penelope just offered her.

 

" If it’s any help, she’s really sorry you know ? She was never the same after what happened between you two and she never stopped regretting it… You know how the Mikealson are with that ‘always and forever’ crap… "

 

" Isn’t that supposed to only apply to family ? "

 

" Yeah well… I think you are as important as her family, I’m even pretty sure you are her family. But don’t tell her you heard it from me alright ? "

 

" I feel that way about her too, you know ? ", Lizzie sighed.

 

" Yeah don’t worry I know… I’m not blind. "

 

" Thanks, Penelope. ", she said as she gave her the joint back, " You know, I don’t think we’ve ever talked like that before. Maybe you’re not so bad after all… "

 

" Well I don’t think you ever called me by my name before. ", she scoffed.

 

" Why did you say ‘crap’ ? ", Lizzie asked after they fell in an awkward silence for a while.

 

" What ? "

 

" Earlier, you said that ‘always and forever crap’, don’t you believe it can work ? "

 

" I think its idea is beautiful and attractive, but it’s not for everyone. It’s not for me… "

 

" You don’t know that… "

 

" It just seems so unrealistic… I don’t think I’m made for love at all. "

 

Lizzie gave her a strange look. She had no idea how things just went that deep with her supposedly arch nemesis, but here they were, on a bench, alone, smoking and sharing intimate parts of themselves.

 

" If someone as ‘infurating’ as me could find it, more or less, you can do too. ", she quotted old words from Penelope, " Besides I don’t think anyone is made for love, it’s not our ultimate goal. Life would be so boring if it was… It’s just a happy addition... It doesn’t even have to be happy. ", she finally added after thinking of her situation.

 

Just as she finished, they saw a silhouette approaching, they both knew exactly who it was. Hope Mikealson. However, she was very surprised to find those two people sitting on a bench together… Willingly.

 

" Hey ! Did I miss something ? ", she asked while raising an eyebrow. Never in a million year she would have think this would happen, and she thought maybe something serious happened because Lizzie and Penelope would not be caught dead hanging out like that.

 

" No we were just talking. ", Penelope answered calmly and Hope spotted what she was holding.

 

" About what ? "

 

" Nothing that concerns you don’t worry Mikealson. ", Penelope smirked at her.

 

Lizzie rose on her feet, she decided it was her cue to leave, she still had to find Josie.

 

" Well, I’d better go find Josie. It was a nice talk Penelope. ", she turned her back fast a,d headed back to the illuminated part of the fair. But before that she heard Penelope tell her, " You’re not that bad either Saltzman. "

 

When she was a few feet away she also heard Hope raise her voice at Penelope, apparently, she was not supposed to smoke anymore and she had promised the shorter girl she had stopped. She also heard a loud " OUCH " from the raven haired girl. It made her giggle lightly, Penelope was lucky to have Hope, and surprisingly enough, Hope was lucky to have Penelope. They formed a good team, she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pizzie rights !! Also I'm gonna start doing some time jumps because otherwise I'll never finish the story I think lol


	20. UPDATE

Hey everyone, I know it's been a while...

Don't worry I'm continuing this story, I just had a lot to do with uni and life in general... And if I'm being completely honest I didn't have much motivation to keep up that story but you will have an end (which will not be so soon actually). 

I just wanted to apologize for taking so long to update especially since I just started a new story called 'Forgotten'. 

Concerning that new story, if you're interested in reading it I swear I will finish it and I took all the precautions this time since it's already entirely written. I plan on updating it weekly and I will go back to this story with fresh ideas, hopefully.

That being said, I will have exams the next couple of week but I will try to go back to writing 'Not That Bad' as soon as it's done.

Once again, thank you for reading this story, and thank you for your patience.


End file.
